Physical Exam for Hepatitis C

Topic Overview

Your doctor will do a physical exam to look for signs of hepatitis C infection. The exam will include:

• Taking your temperature to see whether you have a fever.
• Feeling the upper part of your belly to see whether your liver or spleen is enlarged.
• Feeling the glands in your neck, under your arms, and in your groin to see whether they are swollen.

Your doctor also may check for the following signs of advanced liver disease:

• Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Appearance of clusters of blood vessels just below the skin that look like tiny red spiders. These usually appear on the chest and shoulders.
• Redness on the palms of the hands caused by expansion of small blood vessels
• Fluid in the belly
• Swelling of the legs and feet
• Varicose veins spreading out from the navel