Hepatitis C - Symptoms

Many people with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms and are unaware they have the infection. They may develop symptoms later on as their liver becomes increasingly damaged.

Early symptoms

Only around one in every three or four people will have any symptoms during the first six months of a hepatitis C infection. This stage is known as acute hepatitis C.

If symptoms do develop, they usually occur a few weeks after infection. Symptoms may include:

    a high temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above
    tiredness
    loss of appetite
    abdominal (tummy) pains
    feeling and being sick

Around one in every five people who experiences symptoms will also have yellowing of the eyes and skin. This is known as jaundice.

In around one in every four people infected with hepatitis C, the immune system will kill the virus within a few months and the person will have no further symptoms, unless they become infected again.

In the remaining cases, the virus persists inside the body for many years. This is known as chronic hepatitis.

Later symptoms

The symptoms of long-term (chronic) hepatitis C can vary widely. In some people, symptoms may be barely noticeable. In others, they can have a significant impact on quality of life.

The symptoms can also go away for long periods of time and then return.

Some of the most common problems experienced by people with chronic hepatitis C include:

    feeling tired all the time
    joint and muscle aches and pain
    feeling sick
    problems with short-term memory, concentration and completing complex mental tasks such as mental arithmetic – many people describe this as "brain fog"
    mood swings
    depression or anxiety
    indigestion or bloating
    itchy skin
    abdominal pain

If left untreated, the infection can eventually cause the liver to become scarred (cirrhosis). Signs of cirrhosis can include jaundice, vomiting blood, dark stools and a build-up of fluid in the legs or abdomen.

When to seek medical advice

See your GP if you persistently have any of the later symptoms above, or if they keep returning. They may recommend having a blood test that can check for hepatitis C.

None of the symptoms above mean you definitely have hepatitis C, but it's important to get them checked out.

You should also speak to your GP about getting tested if there's a risk you're infected, even if you don't have any symptoms. This particularly includes people who inject drugs or have done so in the past. 

tags: Early symptoms, When to seek medical advice, Later symptoms, Many people with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms and are unaware they have the infection. They may develop symptoms later on as their liver becomes increasingly damaged.