{"id":6011,"date":"2026-07-27T08:56:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/?post_type=resource&#038;p=6011"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:56:21","slug":"why-getting-tested-for-hepatitis-matters","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/resource\/why-getting-tested-for-hepatitis-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00e9pistage de l\u2019h\u00e9patite : pourquoi \u00e7a compte"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"resource-topic":[78,44,39],"resource-type":[27],"class_list":["post-6011","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry","resource-topic-hepatitis-a","resource-topic-hepatitis-b","resource-topic-hepatitis-c","resource-type-blog-post"],"acf":{"type":27,"topic":[78,44,39],"blocks":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"Many people don\u2019t realize they have viral hepatitis until serious liver damage has already occurred. That\u2019s why getting tested for hepatitis matters, even if you don\u2019t have symptoms.\r\n\r\nWe spoke with <strong>Madison Kennedy, Knowledge Specialist, Hepatitis at CATIE<\/strong>, about why viral hepatitis testing is so important, who should get tested, and what can happen when hepatitis goes undiagnosed.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Why is getting tested for hepatitis so important (even for those who feel healthy)?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nViral hepatitis \u2014 including hepatitis B, C and D \u2014 is often referred to as asymptomatic or as a \u201csilent\u201d disease because there are no signs or symptoms of infection until the liver is severely injured and a person starts to experience health problems. In fact, many people live with chronic hepatitis for years \u2014 even decades \u2014 before any symptoms develop. Getting tested is the only way to know if a person has hepatitis.\r\n<h4><strong>Who should consider getting tested for hepatitis?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nAnyone who may be at risk of a hepatitis infection should get tested. There are many reasons someone may request a hepatitis test or have one recommended to them, such as the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>routine testing, such as:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>universal testing for all adults in Canada<\/li>\r\n \t<li>prenatal testing for all pregnant people<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>possible past or recent exposure to the hepatitis virus, including:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>coming into contact with someone else's blood or bodily fluids<\/li>\r\n \t<li>participating in an activity that can pass hepatitis from one person to another, even if it was just one time<\/li>\r\n \t<li>living in or receiving medical care in a country where viral hepatitis is common<\/li>\r\n \t<li>receiving a blood transfusion or organ transplant in Canada before 1992<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>symptoms or test results that may indicate a hepatitis infection or liver damage, including:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>symptoms consistent with advanced liver disease (e.g., jaundice [yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes], fluid buildup [ascites or edema] and blood in stool or vomit) or, more rarely, acute hepatitis B or C infection (e.g., fatigue, tenderness or an aching feeling on the right side of the abdomen, jaundice)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>abnormal liver enzyme levels (i.e., alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]) identified during routine bloodwork (high liver enzyme levels can indicate current liver damage, which may be caused by a hepatitis infection)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h4>What can happen if hepatitis goes undiagnosed or untreated?<\/h4>\r\nWhen left untreated, viral hepatitis can make many copies of itself in the liver, which can lead to inflammation. This inflammation results in scarring, called fibrosis. Over a long period of time, scarring affects most of the liver. This is called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can make it hard for the liver to work properly, leading to serious health problems and potentially early death. Chronic hepatitis infections also increase the risk of de\u00adveloping liver failure and liver cancer. Liver failure or liver cancer may result in needing a liver transplant.\r\n<h4><strong>What are the benefits of being diagnosed early?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nEarly diagnosis is important because it enables timely treatment and care, which can prevent liver damage and liver disease. Curing hepatitis C can help clear the virus from the body and treating hepatitis B and D can suppress viral replication. This reduces the risk of liver damage and serious complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. When a person is engaged in hepatitis treatment and care, they can also access other care and supports to improve their health and well-being.\r\n\r\nEarly diagnosis and timely treatment can also have a positive effect on prevention efforts. When a person is cured of hepatitis C, they can no longer pass the virus on to others. For people living with hepatitis B or D, treatment can help lower the amount of virus in the body, reducing the risk of transmission to others. This can also lower the amount of virus circulating in the community, which reduces the chance of someone coming in contact with the virus. This contributes to reduced transmission in the community overall.\r\n<h4><strong>What would you say to someone who is hesitant or unsure about getting tested for hepatitis?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nGetting tested is not about judgment, it\u2019s about taking care of yourself and the people around you.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s completely normal to feel nervous or unsure about getting tested, but testing is one of the best things you can do for your liver health and is the first step to connecting to care. A person can have viral hepatitis and not know it \u2013 the only way to know if a person has hepatitis is to get tested.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/liver.ca\/resource\/viral-hepatitis-a-b-c-and-d-booklet\/\">Learn more about the different types of viral hepatitis, transmission methods, and ways to protect yourself and those around you.<\/a><\/strong>","remove_heading_underline":false}],"related_resources":"","title":"","text":"","image":"","landing_page":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/6011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resource"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"acf:term":[{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"resource-topic","href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic\/39"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"resource-topic","href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic\/44"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"resource-topic","href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic\/78"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"resource-type","href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type\/27"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic?post=6011"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liver.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=6011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}