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Hepatitis C symptoms are difficult to recognize...Hepatitis C symptoms are difficult to recognize because there isn’t an identifiable symptom or set of identifiable symptoms that explicitly signal we have been infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). If Hepatitis C symptoms appear at all, they usually develop a month or two after a person is infected with the Hepatitis C virus. Only 10% of people with acute Hepatitis C have symptoms. The remaining 90% have no symptoms whatsoever. The down side is that in 80% of those initially infected with HCV, the infection becomes chronic.
About one-third of people at the outset of HCV infection (acute phase) develop Hepatitis C symptoms that are routinely thought to be common illnesses with flu-like symptoms, fever, and/or nausea.
Interestingly, those who develop these common illness types of symptoms are more likely to naturally clear the virus from their bodies. While this phenomenon is not completely understood, some studies have shown that a broad-based immune response by certain types of T-cells to the Hep C virus helps to eliminate the virus from the body. Treatment of acute HCV is currently undergoing research. In some studies the Sustained Viral Response (SVR) is as high as 95-98% with standard interferon .
SVR is defined as the inability to detect genetic material from the Hep C virus for at least 24 weeks after HCV therapy is completed. An extremely sensitive gene-based test, called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), is used for this purpose.
Since some people clear the virus on their own, there is ongoing research to determine the optimal time to start HCV therapy and to find out what factors would increase the likelihood for successful treatment of acute Hepatitis C.
There are some additional factors that influence a person’s natural ability to clear the virus, such as gender, age at time of infection, race, and immune status.
Gender – Women seem to be able to naturally clear the Hepatitis C virus more often than men. Analysis of combined existing studies of people who were acutely infected with HCV found that 40% of women and 19% of men were able to naturally clear the virus from their bodies.
Age at time of infection – Up to 45% of children born to HCV infected mothers spontaneously clear the infection. Other studies have shown that 70% of people below the age of 20 cleared the virus as opposed to 24% of those 20 years old or older.
Race – according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) study, only 14% of black men were able to spontaneously clear the virus as opposed to 32% of Caucasians.
Immune status – chronic infection rates are higher in people with HIV.
80% of those initially infected with HCV, the infection becomes chronic. Most people with chronic Hepatitis C have very few symptoms or physical signs of the virus in the first 20 years after infection. Yet, roughly 20 percent of those do develop vague Hepatitis C symptoms, which include mild intermittent fatigue and depression.
Fatigue, which can lead to significant decreases in quality of life, may be the first and only sign that the liver is being affected by the virus. Fatigue is described as just feeling tired or lacking energy. Nearly all people with Hepatitis C experience this at one time or another.
It may be mild enough that a nap or going to bed earlier relieves the Hepatitis C symptoms. It may be severe, feeling like near exhaustion even after a full night of sleep. Fatigue may also bring on increased feelings of anger, hostility, and depression, which may continue after the fatigue has passed.
Depression is not directly caused by Hepatitis C. Concerns about the disease and changes it causes in your life can lead to depression.
Some of the symptoms of depression include sleeping more or less than usual; eating more or less than usual; hopelessness; helplessness; irritability; lack of interest in your usual activities; and feelings of sadness and/or despair most of the time.
If you have any of these symptoms, you may have depression and should discuss what you are feeling with you health care provider.
Depression can seriously interfere with your quality of life, and can make it difficult for you to do what you need to do to take care of yourself.
Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, and it can be treated.
If you have any of the symptoms of depression, talk to your health care provider right away.
Chronic Hepatitis C can be present for as long as two decades without presenting any outwardly noticeable symptoms.
For some the first noticeable symptom may be as simple as itchy skin.
For others it may be the development of pain in the small joints of the body (such as the hand) making the Hepatitis C symptoms identical to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
In other patients, chronic Hepatitis C can lead to long term disability or liver failure before they experience any symptoms at all.
The experience of living with Hepatitis C is different from one person to next. Even for the individual, Hep C is unpredictable.
There will be days when you feel great. There days when you don’t. There will be still other times when you find yourself somewhere in between.
There’s no need to suffer in silence. Discuss your Hepatitis C symptoms with your health care provider.
There are many ways to treat the Hepatitis C symptoms. Always tell your health care providers if you start to experience a new symptom. Doing this will help them help you.
Keep your health care providers informed of treatments, medicines, and supplements you are using to manage your Hepatitis C. Sometimes, different treatments interact in ways that cause side effects resulting in you experiencing new symptoms.
Do not panic if you start to experience new signs or symptoms. Although many of the Hepatitis C symptoms can raise your level of concern, they don’t necessarily mean your situation is getting worse.
Click here to learn more about commonly reported Hep C symptoms.
Do you have a personal experience to share relating to Hepatitis C symptoms?You can help improve the content of this site by sharing your personal experiences. Doing so will help hundreds, if not thousands, of people living with Hepatitis C.
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