Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you have just learned you have hepatitis, you may feel confused, shy, or too upset to talk about it. But this is a good time to get to know your doctor and to make sure you are getting the kind of care you need and that all your questions have been answered. Here are a few topics you should discuss with your doctor.

  • Ask your doctor about the level of virus in your blood, what this level means for your treatment, and the chance of infecting others.

  • Discuss all your other test results and what they mean with your doctor.
  • Ask about precautions that you should take to avoid infecting other people.
  • Ask your doctor how much experience he or she has in treating hepatitis patients, and whether he or she recommends that you see a hepatologist—a specialist in liver disease—or gastroenterologist, a medical specialist in digestive disease, for your care.
  • Discuss what steps you can take to protect your liver and help you feel better.
  • Ask your doctor what treatment he or she recommends, and about any treatments you have heard about.

When you're speaking to your doctor, remember that the level of your alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test doesn't always reflect the level of hepatitis virus in your body. You may need further testing to see how severe the inflammation is, even when ALT levels are not very high. (For more information about the ALT, see the section, Diagnosing Hepatitis.)

When discussing treatment options, keep in mind that there are treatments available that a lot of patients respond to, but that not all patients benefit from the treatments. However, if you do nothing, you may be losing your chance to fend off the virus.

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Questions to Ask Your Doctor
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