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Symptoms of Hep C

Hepatitis C, also called hep C, is a viral infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. It can only be acquired through blood or sexual contact. It is considered to be very serious because the infection can go unnoticed for many years before symptoms occur, risking chronic liver damage. If left untreated, it can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

  1. Infection with Hep C

    • Hepatitis C can only be contracted through direct contact with infected blood or through sexual contact. Prior to 1992, the donor blood supply system did not screen blood donors or donated blood for hep C. Some people may have gotten hepatitis C through blood transfusions, but most pick up the infection through other means, such as needle sharing or sexual contact. Infection with Hepatitis C is often asymptomatic, and 15 to 40 percent of infected people will be able to fight the infection on their own. The remaining portion may go on to develop chronic hepatitis C which can cause cirrhosis and increase the chance of developing liver cancer. Chronic hep C infection causes damage to the liver and decreases its ability to metabolize toxins in the body. When the liver can no longer function properly, these toxins will build up in the blood and cause the symptoms of hep C infection. Symptoms of chronic hep C may not appear for years or decades.

    Abdominal Symptoms

    • Over time, the liver will become inflamed and may swell, causing pain, so often the first symptom of chronic hepatitis C infection is abdominal tenderness. Because the liver is damaged and not functioning normally, it will not be able to produce bile to help digest food. This may cause nausea and a poor appetite, and the patient may not be able to eat regularly, causing weight loss.

    Muscle and Joint Pains

    • The liver is the principal organ used for the processing of many waste products of physiologic processes. The liver is also responsible for completing the breakdown of blood cells that have died by removing the final product of bilirubin from the blood. When the liver is damaged through chronic infection with hep C, it is no longer able to remove bilirubin and other toxins from the blood. Build-up of these toxins may cause muscle aches and soreness as well as significant joint pains.

    Skin Conditions

    • As liver damage progresses and bilirubin levels rise within the body, the skin may become yellow. In a condition known as jaundice, high bilirubin in the blood will show through the skin and in the whites of the eyes. Jaundice is not always experienced in cases of hepatitis C but is a definite indicator of high bilirubin levels. The skin may also become itchy and irritated because changes in bile processing by the liver can lead to an accumulation of bile salts on the skin.

    Fatigue and Fever

    • Infection with the hepatitis C virus may cause fever, which is a symptom of any type of infection. Fevers caused by hepatitis C are usually low-grade but persistent. The liver's inability to metabolize and remove toxins from the blood may contribute to the development of fever. A person may also become fatigued and tire easily because of toxins in the blood. Fatigue related to hepatitis C may also be increased because of the other symptoms such as not eating, fever, and aches and pains.

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