Hepatitis C is a virus that does not manifest any signs as soon as a person contracts an infection. In some cases where symptoms do manifest, they could be misread as indications of other illnesses in the early stages. Understanding the common symptoms can facilitate early diagnosis and timely treatment of this liver disease that can cause severe complications.

Early warning signs of hepatitis C
One might experience a few early warning signs of hepatitis C when the virus is in its acute state. During this time, the signs are mostly similar to the flu, but a person might not show any symptoms of hepatitis C. Some common signs that can be seen at this stage include:

• Fatigue
• Jaundice
• Pain in the belly
• Fever
• Change in the color of stools
• Pain in the joints
• Nausea
• Dark urine
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting

Usually, even the early warning signs of hepatitis C occur after about 2 to 12 weeks post exposure to the virus.

Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C
If one does not showcase any symptoms in the acute stage, the virus cannot be diagnosed and treated. So, untreated hepatitis C could advance to the chronic stage. If one has lived the acute stage without developing any symptoms, they might experience cirrhosis in the chronic stage, which is a type of scarring of the liver and could also lead to liver cancer.

Besides liver scarring, one might develop symptoms that indicate poor liver functioning. These symptoms include:

• Bruises
• Bleeding
• Ascites or a certain build-up of fluid in the belly
• Rashes or hives
• Weight loss
• Swelling in the legs
• Itchy skin
• The appearance of spidery-like formations in the blood vessels beneath the skin
• Hepatic encephalopathy that might lead to slurry speech, confusion, and drowsiness

Signs of cirrhosis
Untreated hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis or symptoms that might occur as a result of cirrhosis. These include:

• Bruising or bleeding easily
• Water retention
• Jaundice

Will hepatitis C always turn chronic?
As such, there’s no conclusive proof that hepatitis C always aggravates and advances to a chronic stage. Approximately 15 to 25% of people with hepatitis C found out that the virus cleared from their body, all by itself, without any treatment. This is known as spontaneous clearance.

Visiting a doctor
When exposed to a virus or if any of the listed symptoms are noticed, one should visit a doctor at the earliest for a diagnosis. Usually, a blood test is performed for the diagnosis of hepatitis C, and the doctor can also diagnose the disease by spotting an issue with the enzymes of the liver after performing a regular blood test.