Page 250 - fourth year book

HEPATITIS C VIRUS

Diagnosis of certain groups:

Acute and Chronic HCV Infection

Diagnosis of hepatitis is made by biochemical assessment of liver
function. Initial laboratory evaluation should include: total and direct
bilirubin, ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase,

prothrombin time, total protein, albumin, globulin, complete blood

count, and coagulation studies.

The differentiation of acute from chronic HCV infection depends on the
clinical presentation: namely the presence of symptoms or jaundice, and
whether or not there was a prior history of ALT elevation and its
duration. After acute exposure, HCV RNA is usually detected in serum before
antibody; HCV RNA can be identified as early as 2 weeks following exposure
but anti-HCV is generally not detectable before 8-12 weeks

Pregnancy and HCV Infection

Should pregnant women be routinely tested for anti-HCV?

No. Since pregnant women have no greater risk of being infected with
HCV than non-pregnant women and interventions to prevent mother-to-

child transmission are lacking, routine anti-HCV testing of pregnant
women is not recommended. Pregnant women should be tested for anti-
HCV only if they have risk factors for HCV infection.

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