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Step 1
Know who is at risk. Hepatitis C can be hard to identify because infected people often don’t have symptoms. High risk groups include homeless people, prison inmates, hemophiliacs, veterans and I.V. drug users. Anyone in these groups who has concerns about being infected should get tested by a doctor.
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Step 2
Learn to recognize the symptoms, which include fatigue, joint pain, stomachache, itchy skin, sore muscles, dark urine and jaundice. It can take several years for these symptoms to surface.
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Step 3
Be aware of the long term effects. Hepatitis C gradually destroys the liver. This can lead to cirrhosis, which is a scarring of the liver. A person who develops cirrhosis may experience a redness of the palms, red spidery veins on the face, shoulders, and chest, swollen stomach, legs and feet, mental confusion and memory loss.
