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How to Get Tested for Hepatitis B

How to Get Tested for Hepatitis B

Knowing your Hepatitis B status is important whether you are infected or not. If you do not have Hepatitis B, you should get vaccinated to prevent any possible infection. Doing so will protect yourself and your family from getting Hepatitis B. On the other hand, if you are already infected with this virus, you may become a carrier. Being a virus carrier means that without getting any symptoms yourself, you can infect others. If your family gets infected with the virus, they may experience cancer in the later years of their lives. Early detection guarantees early prevention of the virus. Also, seeking treatment for Hepatitis B will also be beneficial because there are now effective treatments that can cure you or help you live a long and healthy life.

Testing Options

Blood Tests

A blood test is the most common test for diagnosing hepatitis B. It can tell your doctor whether you have a current infection, a previous infection, or have been immunized. Your doctor can order several blood tests to detect different virus components and understand the full scope of your condition. If you think you have come into contact with the hepatitis B virus, even if you do not have any symptoms, it is important to get tested.

Rapid Diagnostic Tests

A variety of rapid diagnostic tests are available to screen for the presence of Hepatitis B infection. These tests are particularly useful in settings where access to laboratory testing is limited. Conventional serologic assays detect the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen, antibody to HBsAg, hepatitis B e antigen, antibody to HBeAg, and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. Rapid tests designed to detect one or more of these markers are now available. As with laborator y-based tests, high levels of sensitivity and specificity, particularly for the detection of HBsAg, are an essential part of the performance characteristics of rapid diagnostic tests. Test quality must be assured by strict adherence to good laboratory practices, proper staff training, and strict supervision and external quality assessment. Ensuring appropriate handling, storage, and quality control of test material during distribution and at the point of care is essential. Rapid tests are particularly useful for rapidly testing groups, such as partners, family members, and high-risk or hard-to-reach groups. Rapid tests can either be read visually or use small, battery-powered analyzers that require no laboratory equipment.

Home Testing Kits

These kits allow you to collect a small blood or saliva sample and test for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Unfortunately, for home users, it can be difficult to find kits designed specifically for hepatitis B and even more difficult to find ones that are approved for use by federal drug regulations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the states. Many of these tests are privately sold or could be counterfeited. Not only could these be incorrect in their testing, but they may also be a security risk for your private information and instructions. Many official home tests are not intended for monitoring purposes and should be followed by a professional test in a laboratory to validate the findings.

Where to Get Tested

Healthcare Providers

When you go to a healthcare provider, they may order a blood test to detect the presence of the hepatitis B virus or to see if the virus has caused an infection. The tests used include a qualitative HBsAg test (hepatitis B has antigen), a quantitative HBsAg test, and an HBV DNA test (to measure how much virus is in your blood). A hepatologist, infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist, or primary care provider can follow up for you. You can also use online doctor appointment booking or consultation services to log in and ask health-related questions, find resources in your area, and look for nearby labs, hospitals, or doctors' offices.

how to get tested for hepatitis b

Public Health Clinics

Many large cities have dedicated sexual health or public health clinics that offer free testing for sexually transmitted diseases, such as hepatitis B, during regular operating hours. Unlike appointments at regular healthcare providers, walk-in time may save you a trip over and days of discomfort while waiting. However, only specific locations offer anonymous hepatitis B testing options, while other community health centers do not inform any type of testing interventions through anonymous means. Check with the clinic for information on their specific hepatitis B testing procedures.

Testing Centers

Often, local health clinics can test for hepatitis B as well. They may prefer that you contact them for an appointment, but you could be able to walk in during normal working hours and be tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists test centers for all sexually transmitted diseases. Sometimes, free testing is available. To check the nearest testing center, use the Locator. To sum up, most treatment centers, hospitals, and physicians physicians offices offer hepatitis B tests. Nonetheless, they will likely charge you. However, you can constantly get screened for free at a state health clinic or in a city test center.

Bibliography

  1. Nguyen, M. H., Wong, G., Gane, E., Kao, J. H., & Dusheiko, G. (2020). Hepatitis B virus: advances in prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Clinical microbiology reviews, 33(2), 10-1128. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7048015/)

  2. Health Organization, W. o. r. l. d. (2020). Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV): Guidelines on antiviral prophylaxis in pregnancy. (https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SY9FEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=Early+detection+of+Hepatitis+B+guarantees+early+prevention+of+the+virus.&ots=545zGLR-i8&sig=we4BKFEX2f6eWXm6WB6he3O8yk4)

  3. Bierhoff, M., Nelson, K. E., Guo, N., Jia, Y., Angkurawaranon, C., Jittamala, P., ... & Thio, C. L. (2020). Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus: protocol for a one-arm, open-label intervention study to estimate the optimal timing of tenofovir in pregnancy. BMJ open, 10(9). (https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:30879f8c-df7b-464d-93c5-782b142fcfc8/files/r44558d50x)

  4. Xiao, Y., Thompson, A. J., & Howell, J. (2020). Point-of-care tests for hepatitis B: an overview. Cells. (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/9/10/2233/pdf)

  5. Shimakawa, Y., Ndow, G., Kaneko, A., Aoyagi, K., Lemoine, M., Tanaka, Y., ... & Thursz, M. R. (2023). Rapid point-of-care test for hepatitis B core-related antigen to diagnose high viral load in resource-limited settings. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 21(7), 1943-1946. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S1542356522005547)

  6. Tuaillon, E., Kania, D., Pisoni, A., Bollore, K., Taieb, F., Ontsira Ngoyi, E. N., ... & Van de Perre, P. (2020). Dried blood spot tests for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of HIV and viral hepatitis B and C. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 373. (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00373/full)

  7. Bezerra, C. S., Portilho, M. M., Barbosa, J. R., de Azevedo, C. P., Mendonça, A. C. D. F., da Cruz, J. N. M., ... & Villar, L. M. (2022). Dried blood spot sampling for hepatitis B virus quantification, sequencing and mutation detection. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1651. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-05264-1)