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| Genotype Tests | |||||||||||||
| Genotype tests are used to determine what type(s)of HCV you have.This information is useful for making treatment decisions, such as which medications to use and how long treatment should last. | |||||||||||||
| Testing for HCV is not routinely done,so you may have to request a test from your physician.It is recommended that you use the same laboratory for all of your tests, since result ranges and accuracy can vary from lab to lab. Keep copies of your lab and biopsy results for future reference. | |||||||||||||
| Knowing your HCV genotype is important for a couple of reasons: | |||||||||||||
| First: If you decide to go on treatment, genotype tests will tell you the chances of getting rid of the virus. | |||||||||||||
| Second: Genotype tests will tell your doctor how much medicine to prescribe and for how long. | |||||||||||||
| REMEMBER: Just because you have this or that genotype does not mean you will become more or less ill. | |||||||||||||
| Genotype information is important because it helps predict treatment response, length of treatment, and the dose of ribavirin. | |||||||||||||
| Not everyone with hepatitis C (HCV for short) has the same kind of genotype. In fact, there are six different kinds called genotypes numbered 1 to 6. Some genotypes have further divisions called subtypes (for example, 1a,1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, etc). Knowing which genotype you have is really important to your doctor because different genotypes respond differently to treatment. For example genotype 1 is a little harder to treat than genotypes 2 or 3, and treating type 1 HCV requires different doses than treating types 2 or 3. Just because you have a certain genotype does not mean that you will get less or more sick, but some genotypes (type 3, for example) have been associated with certain disorders, such as fatty liver. It is important to remember that most people with hepatitis C never develop symptoms no matter which type they have. | |||||||||||||