Sexual Health | Pathology | Diagnosing Viral Hepatitis

Diagnosing Viral Hepatitis
Session Overview
Description
This session explains how hepatitis A-E should be diagnosed. It describes sampling and diagnostic tests. The timescale between exposure and tests for hepatitis becoming positive is discussed, as is the interpretation of test results after treatment.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• State what samples should be taken to make a diagnosis of hepatitis A-E
• Describe how these samples should be stored and transported
• Describe which tests are available and appropriate to detect hepatitis A-E
• Interpret the results of tests for hepatitis A-E
• Discuss the timescale between exposure to infection and tests for hepatitis A-E becoming positive
• Discuss the interpretation of tests for hepatitis B and C following treatment

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete sessions:

• Module 2/Interpreting Laboratory Tests (260-0018)
• Module 2/Antigen and Antibody Tests (260-0019)
• Module 2/Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (260-0020)

Hepatitis types A-E can be difficult to diagnose definitively without a knowledge of the relevant tests and how to use and interpret them within the clinical context.

This session describes the relevant samples and tests to use in the diagnosis of hepatitis and how to understand these results.

It describes what samples should be taken, and how they should be stored and transported. It explains what diagnostic tests are available, how to perform them, how to interpret them, their sensitivity and specificity, and their potential advantages or disadvantages. The timescale between exposure and tests for hepatitis becoming positive is discussed, as is the interpretation of test results after treatment.