Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Diagnosis of Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B can be detected by a blood test that will show a positive reaction to the antibodies (your body makes antibodies to try and fight the hepatitis B virus).

Your doctor may also request a liver function test. These are blood tests that measure substances (certain enzymes and proteins) in the bloodstream that indicate that the liver is damaged. These will often show raised levels if you are infected with the hepatitis B virus. However, they are not always good indicators of liver damage and do not show if the virus is present.

The amount of liver damage can only be assessed by taking a liver biopsy. This involves a hollow fine needle being passed through the skin into the liver, to take a sample of the tissue. The cells are examined under a microscope to assess the amount of liver damage, inflammation, scarring, and cirrhosis.

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