I have heard that Hepatitis C is a silent disease, so when should I go for a hepatitis C test?

I have heard that Hepatitis C is a silent disease, so when should I go for a hepatitis C test? Please give me more information about it.

The above answer is correct. The CDC has more information about Hepatitis C on their website.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepat...

everyone has ONE RISK FACTOR FOR POSSIBLE HCV INFECTION, get tested! :o) Report It

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). You may be at risk for hepatitis C and should contact your medical care provider for a blood test if you: were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C. have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago, received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992, were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987, have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis, have evidence of liver disease
http://testingkits.testcountry.com/produ...

If you think you have been exposed, see your Doc. Have regular blood tests for liver problems. Hep C can incubate for decades before killing you. Keeping your doc informed is the best way to beat this killer disease. I am too late for myself, so please see your doc. Exposure is not easy! Drugs, sex, blood to blood, are the only ways to contract it.

HEP C is a disease that is very silent you can have it for years,and have no effects whatever. mine did not show up untill my 40th year.thank GOD for my DR.I told him i seemed to feel very tired all the time. He took a blood test right away and i had not only hep c but auto imune hepatitis.YOU SHOULD NOT WASTE ANYTIME TO GET A TEST DONE.DO IT AS FAST AS YOU CAN.

You have recieved some good info. from other postings, (except those that listed sex as a primary cause of infection) and some links to some of the more basic, yet fact filled, websites. Use them.
The reason HCV (Hep C) is known as a silent disease is:
1) You can have it for extended periods without any outward manifestations / symptoms of the disease.
2) Many initial symptoms, when they do begin to appear, are also symptoms of other (more common) illnesses and diseases.
3) Too often Dr.'s will run a liver panel for AST / ALT enzyme levels to test for liver damage instead of a direct test for HCV antibodies. These enzymes can be very high with no liver damage, or they can be low (even within normal ranges) and there can still be great damage to the liver.
4) HCV can cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. It does not proceed at a set pace for everyone. One person may develop fibrosis and remain at that level for years, while the next can develop severe cirrhosis in a very short period of time after reaching fibrosis.
5) Fibrosis can be reversed, cirrhosis cannot, cancer requires a transplanted liver and at present only 15% of those needing liver transplants are getting them.
6) At present there is no cure, although extended periods (including lifetimes for some) of "clear of virus" are experienced by some who have treatment.

This should give you an idea of why HCV is called "silent" as well as some reasons to take the test. Yes, it can be scary to be tested for a potentially fatal disease. The thing to keep in mind is that most people with HCV will die WITH the disease, NOT BECAUSE of it. The sooner you find out your status, the more you can do to be a part of that majority.

this is the most educated group of responders that I have had the pleasure of reading to date. Their info seems correct. 25% of all patients with HCV will have normal enzymes. over 50% will be asymptomatic. Symptoms do NOT correlate with degree of injury to the liver. Diagnosis is screened for by a "hepatitis panel" which includes antibodies to hepatitis C, NOT by "liver functions". If positive then the diagnosis is confirmed by HCV-RNA (a more expensive and specific test). Almost ALL patients with HCV have experimented either with IV or inhaled drugs. Prospective studies of sex have largely failed to show any transmission. Older retrospective studies of sexual transmission were flawed in their design. THus if you have tried drugs, even once, then go get screened!

hepatitis C is a silent KILLER..it sneaks up on you and you never feel it coming.

If you think that you may have been infected you should have already been tested

THE MOMENT YOU THOUGHT YOU JUST 'MIGHT' HAVE IT

sorry..I'm a HCVadvocate..I work with people waiting for livers..they didn't know soon enough.
Get Tested Tomorrow!
Bayla