What are the Symptoms of Hepatitis C?

Most people (about 70% – 80%) with acute Hepatitis C do not have any symptoms.  If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within two weeks to six months after being exposed to the virus.  If you do develop symptoms, they’re generally mild and flu-like and may include:

• Feeling very tired
• Sore muscles
• Joint pain
• Fever
• Nausea or poor appetite
• Stomach pain
• Itchy skin
• Dark urine
• A yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes, called jaundice.

Since most people go on to develop chronic Hepatitis C and still have no symptoms, it’s common to have Hepatitis C for 15 years or longer before being diagnosed.  Because the virus stays in your body you can give it to someone else. However, Hepatitis C isn’t easy to catch and if you take a few precautions it is unlikely you will pass it on.