There’s a common belief that illness always announces itself — a fever, a pain, something that forces a visit to the doctor. Hepatitis breaks that rule entirely. Many people carrying hepatitis B or C for years feel completely normal, go about their routines, and have no reason to suspect anything is wrong. This is precisely what makes hepatitis one of the most underdiagnosed conditions worldwide, and why waiting for symptoms before getting tested can be a costly mistake. Dr Prabhat Ranjan, gastroenterologist at Mahabir Doctor Hub, Siliguri, shares screening guidelines even if you have no symptoms.
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In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Prabhat highlighted that the liver is an unusually patient organ. It has enormous reserve capacity and no pain receptors of its own, which means it can absorb a fair amount of damage before anything feels off. “Fatigue, mild nausea, or occasional discomfort, when they do show up, are often brushed aside as stress or poor sleep,” said Dr Prabhat.
By the time jaundice, swelling, or serious abdominal pain appear, the liver may have already been dealing with inflammation for years. This gap between infection and noticeable illness is exactly why testing cannot depend on how someone feels.
Pre-employment health checks, especially for healthcare and hospitality workers, are another useful window. Anyone undergoing a medical procedure that involves blood exposure should be tested beforehand as routine practice. For those with ongoing risk factors, healthcare exposure, past unsafe injections, or high-risk sexual behaviour, periodic screening every few years makes sense, rather than a single test taken once and forgotten.
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According to Dr Prabhat, certain groups carry a higher risk and should not wait for any prompting to get screened. Anyone who received a blood transfusion before rigorous screening protocols became standard falls into this category, as does anyone who has shared needles for medical use, drug use, or tattooing.
“Healthcare workers exposed to blood and body fluids on a regular basis, individuals with multiple sexual partners without protection, and babies born to hepatitis B-positive mothers all need testing regardless of how healthy they appear,” said Dr Prabhat. People with a family history of liver disease, those with diabetes or obesity-related fatty liver, and anyone planning surgery or an organ transplant should also be screened as a precaution.
Dr Prabhat highlighted that testing isn’t a one-time event tied to a single risk factor; it fits into several natural checkpoints across life. Pregnancy is one of the most important, since hepatitis B can pass from mother to child during childbirth if left undetected.
According to Dr Prabhat, a basic blood panel checking liver enzymes along with hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibody markers can usually settle the question. It’s inexpensive, quick, and available at most diagnostic centres. Early detection through this simple test opens the door to effective treatment; hepatitis C is often curable, and hepatitis B is very manageable with timely medical care, long before the liver sustains irreversible damage.
Symptoms are not a reliable warning system when it comes to hepatitis. A short blood test, taken at the right time, does a far better job of protecting the liver than waiting for the body to raise an alarm.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
