Award-Winning Practice 2023 and Outstanding Patient Experience 2024 - Midlands Ultrasound and Medical Read more...
Award-Winning Practice 2023 and Outstanding Patient Experience 2024 - Midlands Ultrasound and Medical Read more...
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| Hepatitis C 10 day Early Detection Test | £75.00 |
| Hepatitis C Antibody Test | £120.00 |
| Hepatitis C Instant Test | £95.00 |
MUMS GPs, Nurse and Health Care Assistants offer Hepatitis C testing.
An appointment with the Nurse costs £30.00
An appointment with the GP costs £100.00 where a full history and exam will take place – this also included providing you with a result and any further advice or treatment.
Hepatitis C is also included in our combined STI multiple tests.
Hepatitis C is an infection with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The Health Protection Authority (HPA) estimates nearly 250,000 people in the UK have been infected with Hepatitis C, but most do not know they have it because they have no symptoms. About 75% of these people go on to develop chronic Hepatitis.
It can take years, even decades, for symptoms to appear, many people (possibly 100,000 or more in the UK) remain unaware they have a problem. The damage to the liver has mainly been done by the time someone is tested and diagnosed which is why we recommend testing early.
The Hepatitis C virus is usually transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. Hepatitis C can be passed on through vaginal, oral and anal sex. Another common route is through sharing needles when injecting recreational drugs. Similarly, Hepatitis C can be caught by having a tattoo or body piercing with equipment that has not been properly sterilised. Hepatitis C can also be passed on through sharing toothbrushes and razors. Hepatitis C can be caught from medical treatment in developing countries, and from mother to baby during pregnancy and/ or birth.
There are often no symptoms for Hepatitis C.
The symptoms occur late and can include fatigue, aches and pains, and sometimes – upper digestive problems.
About 20-30% of people with Hepatitis C will clear the virus from their bodies - but in about 70-80% of cases, the infection lasts for more than six months (chronic Hepatitis C). In these cases, the immune system has been unable to clear the virus and will remain in the body long term unless medical treatment is given. Most of these people only have a mild form of the disease, with intermittent symptoms of fatigue or no symptoms at all. However, there may be damage to the liver. About one in five people with chronic Hepatitis C develops cirrhosis of the liver within 20 years.
MUMS offers three types of Hepatitis C test:
The incubation period is 10 days for both tests.
The Early Detection Hepatitis C test takes three working days from when the sample is received in the laboratory.
Regular retesting is advised if you continue to be at risk. A repeat test is recommended with every partner change.
It is possible to treat Hepatitis C and to cure Hepatitis C.
If you test positive for Hepatitis C you will be referred to the appropriate specialist doctor. They will gather more information about your Hepatitis C and the effect it has had on your body. You may undergo specialist scans or biopsy of the liver. This information will help them to recommend the best treatment for you.
If you are concerned that you have been exposed to Hepatitis C then please discuss this with our sexual health and HIV consultant and she may advise other tests that are relevant to you.
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