Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by a viral infection. The viral infection causes inflammation in your liver. Sometimes the liver inflammation can lead to serious liver damage. Typically, the virus that causes hepatitis C spreads through tainted blood. The contaminated blood enters your bloodstream. This causes you to become infected with the disease. Several forms of the virus exist. The most common is type 2 in the United States. Regardless of the type of hepatitis C you have, the symptoms and treatments are usually the same.
Treatment for Hepatitis C is a course of antiviral medications. The prescribed medications work by eliminating the virus. At the end of your treatment, your test results should not detect any of the virus in your body. This occurs at least 12 weeks after you’ve completed treatment. A liver transplant may be needed if your liver has become too damage from scarring to work properly. A liver transplant is not a cure for hepatitis C. Complications of hepatitis C all involve the liver. You may develop cirrhosis, which is a scarring of the liver.
1. Abdomen pain
Abdomen pain has many causes such as a pulled muscle or gas pains. These causes are not serious. Other causes require medical condition because they abdominal pain is occurring for because of an underlying cause. This underlying cause may be hepatitis C, heart attack or cystitis. The location and pattern of the abdomen pain will determine if it is serious. The pain typically stop after a three hours or a few days. If you have chronic pain, it may come and go. This could continue for weeks or years. It may progress over time. Acute abdomen pain accompanies other symptoms that develop over hours or days depending on the medical condition.
2. Gastrointestinal bleeding
Gastrointestinal, or GI, bleeding is bleeding in your digestive tract. You have blood in your vomit or stool. The blood may not be visible. The amount of bleeding may range from mild to life-threatening. The cause of the blood in your GI tract include inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis C, hemorrhoids and cancerous tumors. Treatment of Gastrointestinal bleeding depends the location and/or cause of the bleeding. Bleeding in your digestive tract consists of pale skin, fainting and bleeding from your rectum. You may also experience shortness of breath.
3. Bloating
Bloating is a symptom in which your abdomen, or belly, feels tight and full. It feels like you ate too much food. Your belly may look distended, or swollen. If you are feeling bloated, the cause may be an underlying medical condition or a symptom that does not have a medical reason. For instance, some causes of bloat with no underlying medical cause includes overeating, constipation, weight gain and irritable bowel syndrome. Some medical causes of bloat include medical reasons like celiac disease, tumors, and dumping syndrome. Other symptoms associated with bloating are diarrhea, bloody stools, unintended weight gain and decreased appetite.
4. Nausea
Nausea is not a disease, but a sign of various medical conditions ranging from an infection, hepatitis C, heart attack and pregnancy. It is described as a sensation of lightheadedness and feeling faint. There is an uneasiness in your stomach that makes your body want to throw up the food and/or drinks you consumed. You may not throw up, but only have the urge to do so. You may feel like your surroundings are spinning while you are standing still. Another sign of nausea is feeling like you are expensing vertigo, or a spinning sensation, without your surroundings moving.
5. Fatigue
Feeling overly tired throughout your life is normal. The overly tired feeling is relieved by rest and/or sleeping. Unrelenting exhaustion lasts longer than feeling overly tired. It is not relieved by rest and sleep. Your energy is reduced. You lack motivation to do anything. Your fatigue may be caused my a medical condition such as acute liver failure, cancer or depression. It may have a non-medical cause such as drinking too much alcohol, jet lag, lack of sleep or certain medications. If your fatigue is because of lifestyle, making changes like stopping alcohol consumption or unhealthy eating may stop unrelenting tiredness. If your fatigue is caused by a medical condition, that medical condition must be treated to relieve symptoms.
6. Fever
A fever is a temporary increase of your body temperature. This increase in body temperature often happens because of an illness such as an infection. It typically goes away after a few days. A fever is a way for your body to fight off an illness. Signs of a fever include a headache, muscles aches, sweating and chills and shivering. You may experience a loss of appetite too. Treatment for a low grade increase body temperature is to do nothing. Over-the-counter and prescription medications may help decrease your body’s temperature.
7. Depression
Depression, a mood disorder, occurs when you constantly feel sadness. You may also lose interest in being around people and doing certain activities. You cannot “snap out” of the sadness. Depression can occur because of a medical disease like hepatitis or for no medical reason. Signs of this mental disorder may also include having trouble concentration, thoughts of suicide and feeling worthlessness. Medications and psychotherapy are the most effective ways to treat depression if it is not caused by a medical condition. Symptoms of the disorder may be relieved by treating the underlying disease.
8. Weight loss
You may try to lose pounds for one reason or another throughout your life. This is called intentional weight loss. However, losing weight is can also be unintended. Unintended weight loss is a loss of pounds without trying. Weight loss occurs because of nutrient absorption, age and calorie intake. Physicians typically describe unintended weight loss as losing five percent of your body weight within six months without trying. Losing weight without trying usually happens because of a medical condition such as dental problems, cancer or dementia. Treating the medical condition will stop you from continuing to lose weight.
