Account

About Hepatitis C & Home Testing

On this page

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a virus that affects the liver. It’s usually easy to cure by taking tablets.

  • Early hepatitis C is called acute hepatitis C or recently acquired hepatitis C
  • Most people do not notice any signs or symptoms when they first get the virus
  • For around 3 in 10 people with acute hepatitis C, their immune system fights off the virus after a few weeks or months. But for most people, if hepatitis C is not treated it lasts for a long time
  • When hepatitis C lasts for longer than 6 months it’s called chronic hepatitis C
  • If chronic hepatitis C is not treated and cured, it can sometimes cause serious, life-threatening liver damage

How is hepatitis C passed on?

Hepatitis C can only be transmitted (passed on) when the blood of someone with hepatitis C gets into the blood of someone without hepatitis C.

It can be passed on:

  • By sharing drug injecting equipment or other drug-taking equipment. This is the most common way hepatitis C is passed on
  • During anal sex without a condom. This is because anal sex may cause small tears in the skin that can bleed
  • During vaginal sex without a condom, but this is rare
  • From unsterilised tattoo, piercing or acupuncture equipment
  • By sharing items like razors, toothbrushes or hair clippers that may have blood on them
  • If you’re hurt by a used needle

If you’re pregnant and have untreated hepatitis C, there’s a small chance the virus could be passed on to the baby.

Some people with hepatitis C acquired it after receiving a blood transfusion or blood products. This is now very rare as donated blood and blood products are screened for hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is not passed on from contact that does not involve blood.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?

Most people with acute hepatitis C do not get any noticeable symptoms.

About 1 in 5 people may feel unwell. Occasionally, people may get a very swollen and irritated liver or get jaundice (the skin and eyes turn yellow).

If symptoms do appear, they can often be mistaken for flu or another illness.

Symptoms may appear around 2 months after getting hepatitis C, but it can be earlier or later.

Symptoms may include:

  • High temperature
  • Tiredness
  • Feeling or being sick
  • Appetite loss
  • Tummy pain
  • Jaundice (yellow colour in the skin and eyes; you may have dark wee and pale poo)

Because most people with hepatitis C don’t get symptoms for many years, doing a test is the only way to know if you have hepatitis C.

Can hepatitis C cause health problems?

If the immune system cannot fight off the virus and hepatitis C lasts longer than 6 months, it’s called chronic hepatitis C.

In some people, chronic hepatitis C can cause serious liver damage. This can eventually lead to life-threatening conditions, such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer. A liver transplant may be needed.

If hepatitis C is detected early, treatment can cure the virus before it causes any serious liver damage.

Hepatitis C testing in London

A simple screening blood test can show whether you’ve ever been exposed to hepatitis C.

SHL will assess if you need hepatitis C testing by asking you certain questions when you place a kit order. The test looks for antibodies to the virus and shows whether you’ve ever been exposed to hepatitis C.

If your screening hepatitis C test result is reactive, you’ll need additional / blood tests (for example a hepatitis C RNA test) to confirm whether the virus is still present or if you’ve successfully cleared it. Our Health Adviser team will refer you to a clinic for these extra blood tests. If they confirm an active hepatitis C infection, you’ll be referred to a hepatitis outpatient clinic for ongoing care and treatment.

There are several highly effective medications available to treat chronic hepatitis C.

Treatment and care is free on the NHS.

Free STI Testing Kit

Test for common STIs. Get your free NHS-funded STI test kit delivered to your door in London.

Take a self-sample at home and return it for free. Get your results online within a week.

Access SHL free services now

How is hepatitis C treated?

You’ll be referred to a specialist NHS service where you may be offered treatment.

Hepatitis C is treated with highly effective antiviral tablets.

There are lots of different types of antiviral tablets. Your healthcare team will discuss which type could work best for you.

Treatment is free from the NHS.

If the first course of tablets does not cure the virus, you’ll be offered a different type.

More about the different types of treatment.

Do I need to tell my sexual partners?

If you have hepatitis C, you’ll usually need to tell current and previous sexual partners and anyone you may have had blood-to-blood contact with.

They’ll be offered a free hepatitis C test. They’ll be able to get free treatment if needed.

Informing, testing and treating partners is really important because it lowers the chances of:

  • Hepatitis C causing serious liver damage in a partner
  • Hepatitis C being passed on to a partner’s other partners

If you feel unable to tell sexual partners, one of the SHL team can tell them without mentioning your name or details.

Taking care of your sexual health

You can get hepatitis C more than once. You can also get other types of hepatitis.

If you have hepatitis C, you’ll usually be offered free vaccinations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

If you have hepatitis C, you may also have other infections. It’s advisable to have a full sexual health screen, including tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.

People living with active hepatitis B or C are advised to:

  • Always use condoms for penetrative sex
  • Never share injecting equipment.
  • Avoid or limit alcohol because it can cause more liver damage
  • Check before taking any prescription pills, supplements, or over-the-counter medications, as these can potentially damage the liver
  • Have regular sexual health check-ups
  • Avoid donating sperm, organs or blood

To help protect your health in future:

  • Use condoms
  • Do not share injecting equipment
  • Encourage sexual partners to test for STIs

If you’re sexually active, consider testing for STIs at least once a year and after a change in partner. You don’t usually need to get tested if:

  • you have just one long-term partner and
  • you only have sex with each other and
  • you’ve both tested for STIs since you’ve been together.

Anyone who lives in an area covered by SHL can have up to 4 free STI testing kits a year.

If you’re HIV negative, you may benefit from an HIV prevention medicine called PrEP.

If you have a higher chance of getting syphilis or chlamydia you may be offered doxyPEP. This is an antibiotic you take soon after sex to lower your chance of getting chlamydia or syphilis. Ask your local clinic if doxyPEP is suitable for you.

Related Pages:

More information about hepatitis C

Support

FAQs about free NHS hepatitis C tests in London

Get answers to some common questions.

Face profile of Sara Day

Why should I take a free hepatitis C home self-sampling test?

Hepatitis C is more common in London than in most other parts of the UK. Most people with hepatitis C will not have any symptoms, so you could have it without knowing.

Testing is the only way to be sure if you have hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C can easily be passed on through blood-to-blood contact, including sexual contact.

If hepatitis C is not treated, it can eventually lead to life-threatening liver damage.

Detecting and curing hepatitis C early is the best way to help stop any serious damage.

Who should do a hepatitis C home self-sampling test?

Hepatitis C is passed on through blood-to-blood contact. Anyone can get hepatitis C, but some people may have a higher chance of having hepatitis C.

Any sexual activity where blood might be present can increase the chance of getting hepatitis C, especially if you’re also living with HIV. This includes:

  • Group sex
  • Chemsex (sex when using drugs)
  • Anal sex without a condom
  • Fisting without gloves
  • Any kind of rough sex
  • Sex without a condom when one or both partners have an STI or another genital infection

When you order a free STI testing kit, we’ll ask you a few questions to check if you could be at higher risk of hepatitis C. If so, we’ll advise a hepatitis C test.

If you’re sexually active, it can be a good idea to test for STIs once a year or after a change in partner, especially if you have sex without a condom. Some people may be advised to test more often.

You don’t usually need to get tested if:

  • you have just one long-term partner and
  • you only have sex with each other and
  • you’ve both tested for STIs since you’ve been together.

If you live in England and think you may have been exposed to hepatitis C at any time in your life, you can order a free NHS hepatitis C test.

When should I take a hepatitis C home self-sampling test?

Order a free STI testing kit now if:

  • you have symptoms that could be hepatitis C or
  • you feel you’ve been at high risk of hepatitis C
  • a sexual partner has hepatitis C or another STI

Order an STI self-testing kit now.

Depending on your symptoms, we may suggest you get tested at a sexual health clinic instead of using a home self-sampling kit.

SHL will assess if you need hepatitis C testing by asking you certain questions when you place a kit order.Call the SHL team if you feel you need hepatitis C testing and it hasn’t been recommended.

Hepatitis C may not show up on a test straight away. Testing too early may mean you test negative even if you do have early hepatitis C. Consider retesting 3 to 6months after your last sexual contact to make sure your test is as accurate as possible.

More about when to take a test.

If you want to get tested at a sexual health clinic instead, search for your nearest London sexual health clinic.

If you live in England and think you may have been exposed to hepatitis C at any time in your life, you can order a free NHS hepatitis C test.

How do I use my free hepatitis C self-sampling test kit?

Your testing kit comes with all you need to take your own sample. This is called self-sampling.

A self-sampled hepatitis C test is done with a simple finger-prick blood test. You need a very small amount of blood – less than 1 millilitre.

Pack your samples into the freepost box and send them back to our lab for testing. Post them in any Royal Mail postbox.

When will I get my hepatitis C test results?

You’ll usually get your results 2 or 3 days after your self-sample arrives at our lab.

You’ll be able to view the results online. They’re completely secure and private.

Order your STI testing kit now to get your results as soon as possible.

What do my hepatitis C test results mean?

An SHL hepatitis C test looks for hepatitis C antibodies. Antibodies are made by your body to fight the hepatitis C virus

Reactive result

A reactive result means hepatitis C antibodies were detected.

This could mean:

  • You had hepatitis C in the past, but your immune system cleared it
  • You had hepatitis C in the past that was cured with treatment
  • You have hepatitis C now

You’ll need another test to confirm if you have hepatitis C now. We can refer you to get tested at a clinic or you can order a free NHS hepatitis C test. They’ll do a different test called an RNA test to check if you have hepatitis C now.

If you do have hepatitis C now, you’ll be offered treatment to cure the virus. You’ll get support to manage the virus until it’s cured.

You can get hepatitis C more than once, so even if you’ve had successful treatment in the past, you could have hepatitis C again now if you’ve had new risks.

Negative result

This means hepatitis C antibodies were not detected.

It can take up to 6 months before hepatitis C shows up on a blood test.

If it’s been less than 6 months since you could have been exposed to hepatitis C, it’s advisable to test again later to check you still get a negative result.