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Symptoms of Hepatitis C


The signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C are as follows:

  • In case of acute hepatitis C infection, the following symptoms may develop:
  1. Fatigue
  2. Nausea
  3. Loss of appetite
  4. Abdominal pain
  5. Jaundice or yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes.
  6. Darkening of the urine
These symptoms may occur between 4 to 12 weeks after exposure to the virus. Many people describe them as flu-like symptoms.

  • In case of chronic hepatitis C infection, liver cirrhosis is likely to occur. When liver cirrhosis occurs, fibrous tissue takes the place of normal liver tissue. This fibrous tissue then undergoes scarring and becomes hard. This hampers liver functioning and slowly the liver begins to fail.
Cirrhosis may lead to the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Jaundice
  • Fluid retention which causes swelling in the abdomen and legs
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Itching of the skin
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Vomiting
  • Traces of blood in the vomit
  • Confusion
  • Lethargy
  • Hallucinations

Causes
Diagnosis
References
  1. Alajos Pár, László Telegdy, Lajos Dalmi, Eva Müller, Hungarian Viral Hepatitis Treatment Study Group, Therapy for chronic hepatitis C, Journal of Physiology-Paris, Volume 95, Issues 1–6, January–December 2001, Pages 399-405, ISSN 0928-4257, 10.1016/S0928-4257(01)00054-7.
  2. Jacqueline Rhoads, Natural History and Epidemiology of Hepatitis C, Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS care, Volume 14, Issue 5, Supplement, September–October 2003, Pages 18S-25S, ISSN 1055-3290, 10.1177/1055329003254854.
  3. Samer S. El-Kamary, Michelle D. Shardell, Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, Soheir Ismail, Mohamed El-Ateek, Mohamed Metwally, Nabiel Mikhail, Mohamed Hashem, Amr Mousa, Amr Aboul-Fotouh, Mohamed El-Kassas, Gamal Esmat, G. Thomas Strickland, A randomized controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of silymarin on symptoms, signs and biomarkers of acute hepatitis, Phytomedicine, Volume 16, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 391-400, ISSN 0944-7113, 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.02.002.