Free HEP C Testing, Treatment & Prevention Services
Hep C Testing in Pensacola Florida
Hep C Care - Pensacola FL
Everything You Need to Know About Hepatitis C Testing in Pensacola, Florida
How Does Hepatitis C Impact Your Body?
Hepatitis C affects 2.4 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 50 million people worldwide are living with the disease. You can have an acute or a chronic hepatitis C infection, and getting treatment as soon as possible is essential to prevent the disease’s negative side effects or associated life-threatening conditions. Hepatitis C testing in Pensacola gives you easy access to professional diagnostics and guidance on what to do next if your results are positive.
Why Do I Need to Be Tested for Hep C?
Hepatitis C can cause serious illness and even become life-threatening without treatment. It causes inflammation of the liver, the vital organ that helps filter toxins out of your body. When your liver is unable to work properly, your body is more prone to infection, and you can quickly become seriously ill.
Untreated hep C can also cause the liver to scar or become fibrotic, which is a condition called cirrhosis. While some hepatitis C side effects are reversible, cirrhosis is not. Its side effects can be managed, and its progression can be slowed, but it still often requires a liver transplant.
Most people who die from hepatitis C develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (cancer). The best way to protect yourself and prevent serious side effects is to get tested if you believe you may have been exposed to the disease.
How Hepatitis C Spreads
You can get hepatitis C through reused, unsterilized medical equipment, tattoo or piercing guns, syringes and needles. Unscreened blood transfusions are also a common cause. Hepatitis C can be sexually transmitted or passed on to a baby by its mother through childbirth as well.
Most people contract hep C by sharing needles when injecting drugs. Sharing items like a toothbrush or razor with an infected person can lead to accidental exposure.
It’s crucial to get a test as soon as you become aware of the risk. Even if you think there’s a slim chance or you aren’t showing symptoms, testing in Pensacola gives you peace of mind and offers support if you need it.
What Happens During a Hepatitis C Test?
If you visit us at LifeLine Health, you can get confidential, fast STD testing for a wide range of conditions, including hepatitis C. It’s an easy test that only takes a few minutes.
We diagnose hepatitis C through a blood test. The first blood test looks for antibodies, or white blood cells, that fight off the disease. If the antibody test is positive, we’ll perform an HCV RNA test, which specifically tests your blood for the presence of hepatitis C in your bloodstream.
All adults who believe they might have been exposed to the disease should get tested. It usually takes one to two weeks after exposure for hepatitis C to appear in HCV RNA results, but it could take three to 12 weeks for antibodies to be detectable.
During this “window period,” your hepatitis C antibody test results might come back negative, even if you have the disease. That’s why it’s important to follow up with your provider and make sure you request another test if you believe that you’ve been exposed to the disease.
How Long Will I Need to Wait for Results?
Rapid tests can give results in as few as 20-30 minutes. Other tests can take a few days to return results to the provider. It depends on how quickly the diagnostic lab processes the test. Many facilities offer rapid testing with a finger-prick test to detect antibodies. However, rapid tests need to be followed up with another test to be sure they’re accurate and they confirm the presence of hepatitis C.
The test results for the HCV RNA test can take several more days to weeks, depending on the testing location and the lab that processes the bloodwork. This is why it’s important to choose a clinic with a strong reputation for delivering fast, accurate results. Time is of the essence, and if you do have hepatitis C, you want to start treatment as soon as possible.
What If My Test Is Positive?
You’ll be provided with information about the disease and what treatment may look like. The next step is meeting with a healthcare provider who can develop an individualized care plan for your case whether you have acute or chronic hepatitis C.
For clients with chronic conditions, antiviral medications can cure more than 90% of cases. It will also be important to monitor your liver for signs of damage to prevent serious side effects like cirrhosis and cancer.
Acute infections are typically resolved with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications. They are extremely effective in 95% of cases. You’ll take them by mouth for eight to 12 weeks and take another blood test to check if the disease is gone. A sustained virologic response (SVR) is considered a cure, which means you are no longer facing a high risk of liver damage from infection.
SVR is reached after 12 weeks of no detectable hepatitis C viral loads in your blood. DAA drugs are usually taken with minimal to no side effects.
How Do I Reduce My Risks?
Education is the first and most important step in prevention. Many people contract hepatitis C because they are unaware of how it spreads or even that it exists at all. It’s crucial to know where and how you may contract the disease and avoid any actions that could result in exposure. This includes:
- Not sharing any needles or syringes with others
- Only getting tattoos or piercings from reputable businesses that use sterile equipment
- Avoiding sexual activity that could involve blood exposure
- Properly handling and disposing of medical waste
- Ensuring any blood you receive via transfusion has been tested and cleared of hepatitis C
- Practicing safe sex using condoms
Testing Frequency
Some people may need to get tested for hepatitis C more than once. For example, you might have gotten tested too soon after exposure, so your antibody test came back negative. In such a case, it would be beneficial to return monthly until you are given the all-clear. Sometimes, it takes up to six months for enough antibodies to be present. You may want to instead go straight for an HCV RNA test, which can be more definitive and provide clear results in as little as two weeks after exposure.
Some people with chronic hepatitis C also need ongoing blood work to keep an eye on their viral load and monitor their liver health. If you have repeated exposure or long-term, untreated hepatitis C, it could cause serious, irreversible liver damage. Your doctor may recommend routine liver function tests (LFTs). These are special types of blood work that evaluate how effective your liver is at filtering toxins out of the body.
These blood tests include:
- Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to measure liver damage
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to check for signs of liver damage
- Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to check for liver disease
- Bilirubin to look for signs of cellular breakdown
- Albumin to assess liver protein production
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin to check for liver inflammation
If your doctor recommends LFTs or additional testing for your liver because of hepatitis C, take action right away. It’s important to follow through with healthcare recommendations even if you don’t feel sick. There could be underlying issues that are manageable or curable with proper intervention.
Can You Get Hepatitis C More Than Once?
Yes, you can repeatedly get infected with hepatitis C if you do not take appropriate measures to protect yourself. People who inject drugs frequently are vulnerable to becoming reinfected because they continue to use used needles or syringes. If you take drugs, then you should take extra precautions to avoid sharing anything with others no matter how convenient it may be.
Continuous hepatitis C infections place your liver at a higher risk of cirrhosis, cancer or failure. A person is diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C if they have lived with the infection for six months or longer. This can cause long-term or even permanent liver damage.
You may also develop other symptoms that make it harder to function in your daily life, such as ongoing fatigue and depression. Some people live with hepatitis C for years before they realize something is wrong or even think to get tested.
The best way to minimize risks and avoid long-term complications is to seek out a testing center in Pensacola as soon as you can. It may save you years of poor health and suffering.
Signs That You Might Have Hepatitis C
- Itching
- Fatigue
- Low mood or depression
- Abdominal pain or swelling
- Yellow skin or whites of the eyes
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored stools
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Fever
- Rash
These signs, especially the yellowing of the skin and eyes, can indicate hepatitis C and liver inflammation. Don’t delay treatment; reach out to a medical professional as soon as possible. You can get tested in Pensacola at our practice for an affordable cost.
Can My Doctor Test Me for Hepatitis C?
Yes, you can visit your primary care physician, and they can order lab work to test for the presence of hepatitis C. Some clients prefer to just visit a testing clinic and get tested that way, but you are free to work with any healthcare provider.
Early detection is crucial to treatment and positive outcomes. If you are tested as soon as possible and start antiviral medications right away, you could be free of the disease within a few months.
Preparing for Test Day
Although you might feel nervous or anxious about the test, you can rest assured that there are no special requirements for hepatitis C testing, and you don’t have to fast or do anything before treatment. The simple blood test doesn’t take long, and you can go back to your usual routine as soon as it’s over.
Be prepared for further evaluation if the antibody test comes back positive, and consider speaking with your doctor about the risks. Consider reading up on hepatitis C treatments and risk factors, so you can plan and better protect yourself in the future.
LifeLine Health is here to answer all your questions about hepatitis C testing in Pensacola, FL. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will walk you through the process step-by-step and answer all your questions. Read more about hepatitis C, or schedule an appointment with our compassionate care team.
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Most Asked
Is HIV treatable?
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is primarily transmitted through certain bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are through:
Unprotected sexual contact: HIV can be transmitted through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
Sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs: HIV can be transmitted when needles or other equipment that has been used by an HIV-positive person is reused by someone else.
From mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding: HIV can be transmitted from a mother living with HIV to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Blood transfusion or organ transplant: HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusions or organ transplants with infected blood or organs.
It’s important to note that HIV is not transmitted through everyday activities like hugging, shaking hands, or sharing utensils.
It’s also worth mentioning that, although the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex is lower than that of other sexual behaviors, it is still possible to transmit the virus by this way.
I am pregnant and HIV positive. Will my child be born with HIV?
If you are pregnant and living with HIV, it’s important to seek medical care right away. With appropriate medical care and treatment, the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV can be significantly reduced. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the most effective method for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. ART can suppress the virus in the mother’s body, lowering the risk of the virus being passed on to the baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding. If you’re pregnant and HIV-positive, you’ll be closely monitored by a team of healthcare professionals, including an obstetrician, an HIV specialist and a pediatrician. They will work together to ensure the best possible care for you and your baby. They may advise you to start the ART treatment or adjust the current regimen during pregnancy. This is necessary to achieve an undetectable viral load, which is critical in minimizing the chance of mother-to-child transmission. It’s also important to know that there is a small chance that your child may still become infected despite all the preventative measures. Therefore it’s important to test the baby for HIV shortly after birth and continue monitoring the baby’s HIV status after delivery. It’s worth noting that mother-to-child transmission of HIV is rare in developed countries due to improved treatment and awareness, as long as the mother is diagnosed and treated early.
Listen To What Our Patients Say…
Cristina Anderson
I am thankful to the nice people at Lifeline Health. I was so scared when I found out I had been exposed. They guided me and made me feel so at ease. I have not had an issues and I know it’s because I went to Lifeline Health first.
Juan Bustamonte
