Hepatitis C Symptoms

Hepatitis C symptoms reflect the severity of the infection due to the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Once symptoms appear, they are classified as either mild or severe. The mildest symptoms are barely noticeable such that 80% of people with Hepatitis C are unaware of it. On the other hand, severe symptoms lead to other health problems that can be debilitating.

Hepatitis, the inflammation of the liver, can be caused by overexposure to alcohol, certain medication, poisonous chemicals, and toxins, or by other contagious diseases. The most common cause of Hepatitis is due to infection brought by one of the several viruses that cause liver inflammation – the Hepatitis C virus.

The swelling of the liver caused by an infection of HCV is called Hepatitis C. Without resolution, the HCV infection can lead to chronic effects that can cause serious liver disease. If Hepatitis C symptoms are taken for granted, liver disease can progress to eventual liver failure. This is fatal and the only treatment for this is a liver transplant. This life-threatening disease has 75% to 85% of HCV infected people developing chronic Hepatitis C.

The United States and other countries throughout the world are concerned about the increasing instances of Hepatitis C in their countries. For United States alone, there are 17,000 new (acute) cases of HCV infections each year, while HCV is killing 8,000 to 10,000 people overall per year. Liver cancer, end-stage liver disease, and cirrhosis caused by HCV are reasons for the increasing death rate in the US.

Hepatitis C symptoms can manifest in about 1 out of 5 individuals, who are infected with HCV. These symptoms appear with varying degrees of severity. It also is categorized into two types of infections: acute infections and chronic infections.

Acute Infection: No initial Hepatitis C symptoms are detected upon initial infection with HCV. The majority of recently infected patients, or 80%, are asymptomatic. The remaining 20% of the newly infected patients manifest symptoms such as abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, or yellow jaundice. Jaundice happens when bilirubin, a yellow-colored compound, increases in the body and leads to the tinting of the whites of eyes and skin. Consequently, urine and stools unusually become darker in color. Acute Hepatitis C symptoms that are flu-like can develop after 4 to 12 weeks of exposure to HCV.

Chronic Infections: For people with newly acquired HCV, 75% to 85% of the total number of patients is chronically infected. Chronic Hepatitis C symptoms include vague symptoms like fatigue and sometimes there are no overt or obvious symptoms. However progressive liver damage can occur especially for asymptomatic patients. 15% to 30% of the cases of chronic Hepatitis C often lead to the development of “cirrhosis” or scarring of the liver. Cirrhosis, a condition also related to alcoholism, occurs when healthy liver tissue is substituted with fibrous tissue, and then, hardening of the fibrous tissue. Cirrhosis leads to the gradual failure of the liver until it loses its capacity to perform its normal functions. Symptoms of cirrhosis appear 20-30 years after infection. Some of these symptoms are listed below:

Fluid retention that causes swelling of legs (edema), belly (ascites), or the whole body (anasarca)
Disturbances in sleeping
Fatigue
Itchy skin
Persistent jaundice
Weight loss and loss of appetite
Blood in vomit
Mental disturbances, ex. hallucinations (hepatic encephalopathy), or extreme sleepiness

Upon experiencing any of the symptoms, immediately see a doctor. Better yet, have a regular check up in order to avoid being infected with contagious illnesses such as Hepatitis C. Whether the HCV infection is acute or chronic, the Hepatitis C symptoms should be noted in order to avoid further complications and health problems.