What is Hepatitis C about?
A disease of the liver, Hepatitis C is caused by the Hepatitis C virus. The severity of this disease varies from being acute to chronic depending on the virus. From making you feel sick for a few weeks to a lifelong disease, Hepatitis C can cause major health issues. Also, it is a known fact that Hepatitis C is difficult to detect and this makes it tougher to diagnose the same.

Things you did not know about the symptoms of Hepatitis C
The symptoms of Hepatitis C occur intermittently; this, therefore, makes it tough to detect it. This virus affects the liver and the immune system and the symptoms reoccur for a lengthy period of time. It also becomes confusing to spot the disease solely from the symptoms of Hepatitis C as the signs are similar to those of flu and jaundice, to name a few. This is one of the reasons that the patient or even the doctor tends to oversee the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C. That is why it is extremely important for us to understand the early symptoms Hepatitis C has. One should not wait until the liver starts malfunctioning and then later realize that one is detected with Hepatitis C. Therefore, Hepatitis C is also known as a silent killer; therefore, noticing the early signs will help find suitable medications and treatments. Let us now see at some of the early signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C.

Symptoms of acute Hepatitis C
The time during the initial months of the disease is known as acute Hepatitis C. Some of the most common symptoms Hepatitis C during this time are fatigue, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, and vomiting, to name a few. Also, the person can experience occasional fever and drop in appetite. These symptoms usually last for a couple of weeks and sometimes can also stretch to 10 to 12 weeks. In the case where this is not cured during this time, then the person can experience severe symptoms of acute Hepatitis C, which includes dark urine, jaundice, light stool, etc.

Signs of persistent Hepatitis C
There can be cases where Hepatitis C is not removed from the body, and therefore it becomes a chronic issue and affects the functioning of the liver. This is a persistent stage and requires continual treatment that would flush the virus out from the body. In some of the causes, extreme damage to the liver causes cirrhosis. Ultimately, in worse case scenarios, a liver transplant is opted by the patients suffering from Hepatitis C.

Chronic Hepatitis C is the cause of long-term infection with the virus. Due to the difficulty of detection, the signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C arise when the liver is damaged enough before the body can show any symptoms.

Some of the other symptoms are:

• Easily bleeding and bruising
• Itchy skin
• Swelling in the legs
• Weight loss

Most of the times, it is difficult to detect Hepatitis C in the earlier stages. The only way to detect it is through a blood test. Doctors often recommend opting for a blood test if the symptoms Hepatitis C persists.

Some of the complications that appear with Hepatitis C:
In case a person is diagnosed with Hepatitis C and the infection persists, there are a number of complications that follow. Some of these are

Liver cirrhosis
This is the scarring of the liver and occurs after 20 to 30 years of the infection in the body. Cirrhosis makes the liver vulnerable and therefore it is difficult to function properly.

Liver failure
In case there is a case of advanced cirrhosis, the liver ultimately fails to perform and the person has to opt for a liver transplant.

Liver cancer
Only a few number of people with Hepatitis C develop liver cancer, which is also one of the complications that come with symptoms Hepatitis C and worsening of the condition.

It is advisable to consult a doctor for every medication and treatment. Some of us might ignore the early signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C and think of it as regular flu or weakness. But it is always necessary to keep a close check on the warning signs and symptoms of Hepatitis C. Keep these nuggets of information handy about the different types of symptoms of Hepatitis C.