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Signs and symptoms
Early-stage signs and symptoms
Commonly, hepatitis C infection produces no signs or symptoms during its earliest stages. When it does, they’re generally mild and flu-like and may include:
- Slight fatigue
- Nausea or poor appetite
- Muscle and joint pains
- Tenderness in the area of your liver
Later stage signs and symptoms
Even if you develop chronic hepatitis from the hepatitis C virus, you may have few, if any, symptoms. In many cases, signs and symptoms may not appear for decades. Sometimes, though, you may experience one or more of the following:
- Fatigue
- Lack of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Persistent or recurring yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Low-grade fever
Hepatitis C can cause damage to your liver, even if you don’t have symptoms. You’re also able to pass the virus to others without having any symptoms yourself. That’s why it’s important to be tested if you think you’ve been exposed to hepatitis C or if you engage in behavior that puts you at risk.
