I have a very good friend who contracted Hepatitis C and
lived with the disease for over 20 years. I am not sure that I even
understood the disease and I am a physician. 80 % of people with Hepatitis
C don't even have symptoms. The disease affects the liver and there can be
significant damage by the time symptoms appear. The problem with this
disease is the symptoms can come and go. The symptoms can be very mild and
can be associated with the flu or a viral illness.The symptoms can last
for weeks or months and because of the variability can often be
missed.
One of the more common symptoms is nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, loss of appetite or chronic fatigue.Chronic Hepatitis C can lead
to cirrhosis, a disease which is more commonly associated with
alcoholism.
So what types of symptoms should be concerned
about?
If you have come in contact with a person who you know has
Hepatitis C, you certainly should be concerned about unusual illnesses. If
you think you might have been exposed to the disease and then get ill, you
need to seek medical attention. The symptoms usually appear within five to
twelve weeks of exposure. Nausea and vomiting for more than 2 days should
concern you. If your skin or the whites of your eyes take on a yellowish
tinge or your urine changes to a dark-brown color, you should seek medical
attention.
There are a lot of books on the topic of Hepatitis C. I
have information on my website about Hepatitis C.
