Hepatitis Panel - Topic Overview
A hepatitis panel is a blood test used to find markers of hepatitis infection. Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver.
There are different hepatitis panels. Some tests look for proteins (antibodies) that the body makes to fight the infection. Other tests look for antigens or the genetic material (DNA or RNA) of the viruses that cause hepatitis. A common panel checks for:
Understanding Hepatitis C -- Symptoms
Hepatitis C is a sneaky virus. About 80% of infected people don't have any symptoms of the virus, and their liver shows only a little damage. Many of these people are diagnosed with hepatitis C after showing abnormal liver enzymes on routine blood tests. Other people -- about 10% to 20% of those infected with the virus -- develop cirrhosis after having the infection for 20 or 30 years. This is when the normal functioning liver is replaced by scar tissue. A smaller number of people develop liver...
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- Hepatitis A IgM antibodies (HA Ab-IgM).
- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
- Hepatitis B IgM core antibody (HBcAb-IgM).
- Hepatitis C antibodies (HC Ab).
Your doctor may order a hepatitis panel if you have symptoms of hepatitis. These symptoms include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, yellowing of your eyes or skin (jaundice), dark yellow urine, and feeling very tired. This blood test also may be done if you were recently exposed to a hepatitis virus, even if you do not have symptoms.
For more information, see the topics:
If the term "w/reflex" is listed in your test results, this means that the blood test was repeated to confirm a positive result on your first hepatitis blood test. A positive result may mean that you have hepatitis antibodies from a recent infection.
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