Hepatitis C Symptoms

Many people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) don’t have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease and are unaware that they're infected. The symptoms that occur are usually mild and may include:

• Abdominal discomfort
• Bleeding varices (dilated veins in the esophagus)
• Dark urine
• Fatigue
• Generalized itching
• Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
• Loss of appetite
• Low-grade fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting

These symptoms often don't develop until long-term inflammation of the liver has already caused cirrhosis. As a result, hepatitis C is usually first detected during routine blood tests for a medical exam or procedure. The high liver enzyme levels in their blood indicate that something might be wrong with the liver and additional tests are given to confirm a diagnosis of hepatitis C.