Symptoms of Acute and Chronic Hepatitis C
Key takeaways:
Hepatitis C is a liver condition the hepatitis C virus causes. Hepatitis C can lead to permanent liver damage.
Symptoms of early hepatitis C include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and yellowing of the skin.
Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C include fatigue, weight loss, and signs of liver failure.
Hepatitis C is a common liver illness the hepatitis C virus causes. You can get the hepatitis C virus if you come in contact with blood or bodily fluids that have hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis C can lead to permanent liver damage. More than 2 million people in the U.S. are living with chronic (long-term) hepatitis C. And each year, thousands of people get acute hepatitis C. But what’s the difference between acute and chronic hepatitis C? Let’s take a look at the differences between these two conditions and the symptoms of both.
What is acute hepatitis C?
When someone comes in contact with the hepatitis C virus for the first time, they can get sick. This is an acute hepatitis C infection. About 25% to 50% of the time, the immune system is able to fight off the hepatitis C virus.
In these cases, people don’t develop chronic hepatitis C (which can lead to serious health consequences). Instead, they carry the virus in their bodies for a few months and, eventually, their immune system neutralizes the virus. But these people can get infected again with hepatitis C if they’re exposed to the virus in the future.
What are the symptoms of acute hepatitis C?
Symptoms of acute hepatitis C usually start around 7 to 8 weeks after a person is exposed to the hepatitis C virus. People can experience:
Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
Dark-colored urine
Lighter-colored stools
Nausea
Stomach pain
Chills
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Itchy skin
Loss of appetite
These symptoms can last between 2 and 12 weeks. But only about 1 out of 3 people with acute hepatitis C develop symptoms. Most people with acute hepatitis C never feel sick.
What is chronic hepatitis C?
If your immune system doesn’t fight off the hepatitis C virus, you can develop chronic hepatitis C. This happens to 50% to 75% of people who come in contact with the hepatitis C virus. Over time, chronic hepatitis C can lead to serious liver damage. Up to 30% of people with chronic hepatitis C develop cirrhosis, or liver failure. And some people can develop liver cancer and other medical problems.
What are the symptoms of chronic hepatitis C?
It can take years or decades for people with chronic hepatitis C to develop symptoms. Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C include:
Chronic fatigue (feeling tired)
Trouble sleeping
Joint and muscle aches and pains
Unexplained weight loss
Mood changes
Trouble concentrating or remembering things
Abdominal pain
People with chronic hepatitis C are at higher risk of developing other medical conditions, like:
Over time, people with chronic hepatitis C start to develop symptoms of liver damage and cirrhosis, like:
Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites)
Liver cancer
Brain changes (encephalopathy)
How do you know if you have hepatitis C?
Most people with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms. So the only way to know if you have hepatitis C is to get tested for it.
Many people only develop symptoms once the virus has already caused serious liver damage. By then, it can be too late to get treatment.
The CDC recommends that every adult gets tested for hepatitis C at least once during their life. Hepatitis C testing is quick and easy. A simple blood test can show whether you have hepatitis C.
Knowing if you have hepatitis C is powerful. The earlier you know about it, the sooner you can start treatment. Treatment can prevent serious complications from hepatitis C, like liver cirrhosis and cancer.
How do you treat hepatitis C?
The treatment for hepatitis C uses direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications. DAAs cure hepatitis C 95% of the time. They treat both acute and chronic hepatitis C infections.
DAAs are pills that you take every day for 8 to 12 weeks. The most common DAAs include:
Studies show that people who start DAAs early do much better over time. That’s because they can be cured before the virus has time to damage the liver. But DAAs can also help prevent hepatitis C infection in people with more advanced liver disease.
The bottom line
Hepatitis C is an illness that can lead to serious liver damage. Most people with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms until they develop permanent liver damage or liver failure. Other people might develop symptoms like fatigue, abdominal pain, and jaundice. It’s important to get tested for hepatitis C at least once in your lifetime. If you find out early that you have hepatitis C, you can start treatment faster and prevent liver damage.
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References
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