Counseling the Patient with Hepatitis C Infection

You answered:

B His test result indicates that he has chronic hepatitis C infection.

This answer is incorrect. Although most people (75-85%) who are infected with hepatitis C do go on to have chronic hepatitis C, some are able to clear the initial infection. The antibody test that this patient had determines if a person has ever been infected with hepatitis C. Additional testing is needed to look for the presence of the hepatitis C virus in the blood, which is an indication that the hepatitis C virus is still present in the body as a chronic infection.

A It is unlikely that he got infected with hepatitis C through injection drug use since that was years ago and occurred only for brief period of time.
C Chronic hepatitis C infection can be associated with long term complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
D Most individuals who have hepatitis C experience jaundice and flu-like symptoms from this infection.

[Back to Question | Go to Correct Answer ]