Early Symptom of Hepatitis C
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by a virus, alcohol abuse, medications or trauma. The viral C form of hepatitis most often leads to chronic liver disease. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) generally presents few or no symptoms in its early stage; as a result, patients with this condition become carriers who unknowingly infect others.
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Minor Early Symptoms
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According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), patients infected with HCV often do not experience symptoms; a minority of those infected develop symptoms ranging from minor to serious. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue are minor symptoms of HCV, but may also indicate other ailments.
Serious Early Symptoms
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Persistent pain on the right side of the body and over the rib cage is an early symptom that may indicate a liver problem. Another serious symptom of HCV in the early stage is jaundice, a condition due to the liver's inability to metabolize or excrete bile. Patients with jaundice experience a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
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Early Diagnosis
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Blood tests that measure the levels of liver enzymes help diagnose HCV in its early or acute stages. Elevated enzyme levels are an indication of probable hepatitis C infection. However, the infection may not produce an enzyme elevation until after the first 6 to 12 months of exposure to the virus; if early symptoms of HCV are present, regular testing will be ordered and monitored by a doctor.
Transmission
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HCV is spread mainly through contact with the blood of an infected person. This can occur if drug users share syringes, needles or other injection equipment. A pregnant woman with HCV can pass it to her baby, particularly if she also has HIV. Hepatitis C contracted from transfusions with infected blood have occurred, but transfusion screening regulations were tightened in 1992, decreasing this risk. There have been cases where HCV was passed through sexual contact, but the CDC rates this risk as low. Tattooing at licensed and regulated facilities has not been shown to transmit HCV, but the CDC cautions people considering body art to strictly avoid tattooing establishments that do not keep equipment thoroughly clean.
Prevention & Treatment
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Hepatitis is a serious infection. There is no cure for HCV, so preventing infection is the only option---do not share drug paraphernalia and avoid contact with the blood of infected people. There are no drugs available to treat the early symptoms of HCV; doctors recommend rest, good nutrition and fluids to help the body successfully cope with the infection's onset. In later stages, medications that improve liver function are used.
The IDPH estimates that approximately 50 percent of patients infected with HCV will develop cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.
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