Hepatitis C is a viral infection, caused by the hepatitis C (or HCV) virus. It’s transmitted via contaminated blood and leads to liver inflammation, resulting in serious liver damage if left untreated. There are several causes of hepatitis C including contaminated needle drug use, piercings or tattoos with unsterile equipment, or health workers who come into contact with the blood of an individual who is positive for HCV.
Early symptoms of Hepatitis C are often subtle to non-existent, yet as the virus progresses it can present with the following symptoms:
1. Chronic Fatigue
One of the most subtle symptoms of hepatitis C is chronic fatigue, which makes you feel like you haven’t slept in days even though you just got a full night’s sleep. Although this can be part of the early symptoms of hepatitis C, it can become worse as time goes on.
2. Joint pain
Joint pain is very common with people who tested positive for this disease. The pain can cause someone to attack only a few places at a time (i.e., knees) or you can experience full blown body aches in all of your joints at once.
3. Stomach pain
Stomach pain can be a very unfortunate and uncomfortable symptom of hepatitis C. When you start experiencing this particular symptom on a regular basis, it is crucial to set up an appointment with your physician to find out the underlying cause.
4. Itchy skin
Itchy skin (or pruritus) is also a symptom of hep C that can worsen as time goes by, particularly once later-stage liver disease or cirrhosis (liver scarring) begin to occur.
5. Dark urine
Having dark urine is a very common sign of hepatitis C and it should be mentioned to your doctor immediately when it is noticed on a regular basis. Dark urine often signals chronic liver inflammation which increases the risk of cirrhosis (or scar tissue forming on your liver).
6. Jaundice
Jaundice is a very serious symptom of hepatitis C and demands emergency medical aid. Jaundice is marked by yellowing of the skin and the whites of your eyes. This is due to excess bilirubin, a chemical that builds up in the bloodstream when the liver is malfunctioning, as with hepatitis C.