Hepatitis C Lifespan

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. Infected individuals of HVC may develop cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Some individuals infected with HCV may not be immune to the virus and will continue to live a healthy life. However for some individuals infected with HCV, the virus may become chronic and health issues may develop over the course of 25 to 30 years..

Lifespan

• Hepatitis C virus can develop rapidly, causing serious health-related issues such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. However, HCV generally takes decades to develop into more serious complications like cirrhosis.

Causes

• Hepatitis C if typically contracted among drug users that use, or share needles and hemophiliacs, (people that bleed easily) or individuals who've come in contact with contaminated blood.

Symptoms

• Common symptoms of HCV may include fatigue, yellowing of the skin and eyes, loss of appetite, fever and muscle and joint pain.

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis of HVC may be determined by sending a blood sample to the laboratory in order to determine the amount of HVC in your blood. In some cases, a liver biopsy may be preformed to determine the severity of the hepatitis virus.

Treatment

• Treatment of HCV may included long-term injections of an antiviral medication, and in some cases, a liver transplant my be necessary.