Symptoms of Hepatitis C - Warning Signs

What are the signs and symptoms of hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C can be scary. Most people will not get it, but if you think there is a chance that you have been exposed, the management of the disease can be daunting. Before you completely lose it and think you’re going to die, however, you should know what hepatitis c is and what the symptoms of the disease are.

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver, which causes inflammation, such as when the liver has been injured or infected. It is caused by the hepatitis C virus, and not everyone with the virus will get it. Usually, about 15 – 40% of people who contract the hepatitis C virus will be able to successfully fight the infection off on their own, while the remaining number of people who get it will wind up having a chronic hepatitis C infection. Mainstream medicine usually treats this disease with antiviral medications when it’s caught early enough.

The hepatitis C virus isn’t what can kill a person, however - it’s when it causes things like cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and liver cancer that hepatitis C translates to serious problems. Many people who get liver transplants have been infected with hepatitis C.

Often, people with the condition don’t notice any symptoms of hepatitis C from the onset, which is why it can be so hard to catch and treat. People can have the disease for years and never know it, because there is no outward appearance of the disease. The lack of symptoms of hepatitis C is what makes it such a damaging disease for so many people.

When symptoms finally do occur, they can seem like flu-symptoms and many people don’t think to get tested for hepatitis C. The symptoms of hepatitis C may include:

• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Joint pain
• Fatigue
• Itchy skin
• Sore muscles
• Stomach pain
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Bruising easily
• Swollen stomach and ankles
• Dark yellow urine
• Light colored stools
• Blood doesn’t clot well

Often, the telltale symptom of hepatitis can be the jaundice and dark yellow urine, which will indicate a problem with the liver, the organ that filters the toxins from the body. When the liver isn’t functioning properly, it can allow toxins to enter the body, which it then needs to fight.

Usually, hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests and isn’t treated unless it becomes chronic. When it becomes chronic, many doctors will begin an antiviral medication first and, if that fails, they will recommend a liver transplant.

You are at risk for hepatitis C if you have had unprotected sex, have had multiple partners, or if you had been exposed to an infected person’s blood in any way. You are also at risk of contracting hepatitis C if you have ever had gotten a tattoo in an unclean environment or have used the toothbrush of an infected person. Of course, drug needles of any kind are also a risk factor if you are exposed to them.

The good news is that many people can not only fight the hepatitis c virus, but never have symptoms of hepatitis C at all. It is not always something that is fatal, and many people live with the disease and are managing it. Natural remedies are, of course, also available.

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