{"id":5342,"date":"2019-04-05T05:28:32","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T05:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=5342"},"modified":"2021-05-04T13:40:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T13:40:39","slug":"14-early-warning-signs-symptoms-of-hepatitis-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-early-warning-signs-symptoms-of-hepatitis-c\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Early Warning Signs & Symptoms of Hepatitis C"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver that is caused by the HCV or hepatitis C virus. The immune system has a very difficult time-fighting hepatitis C so it usually becomes chronic and eventually damages the liver and causes it to fail. In the latter stages of hepatitis C, there may be some significant warning signs that are easy to recognize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These warning signs include things like jaundice and other symptoms that would lead a doctor to look at hepatitis C carefully as a potential cause. But what about in the early stages of the infection? Although hepatitis C does not always have symptoms, and it can take weeks or months for symptoms to show up anyway, there are a few early warning signs to be aware of. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to be discussing this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Loss of Appetite <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the symptoms that you might notice with hepatitis C is a loss of appetite<\/a>. This is usually gradual, so you want to be aware of your eating habits over time. For example, look back on what you were eating a year ago as compared to today and see how much of a difference there is. In addition, you can look and see if you are getting enough calories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, this loss of appetite will be accompanied by weight loss, which gives you another clue as to whether or not a significant loss of appetite actually exists. You can also tell by the way that you react to your favorite foods. If you used to be able to eat a certain dish pretty much any time day or night, but you find yourself not interested in food at all including your favorites, then you may want to look at possible causes like hepatitis C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Feelings of Nausea<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another early warning sign with hepatitis C is feeling nauseous. Everyone feels nauseous from time to time, and it is usually caused by a stomach bug of some kind, eating food that has slightly gone bad or some other common cause. But chronic nausea <\/a>should be addressed because it can be the sign of the much larger problem. This is actually something that is closely related to the loss of appetite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you may feel queasy, especially after you\u2019ve just eaten something. If you have not eaten anything, and your stomach is empty, then you might feel like you need some food in it but you still do not want to eat. These feelings of nausea will not happen all the time, but they will happen regularly, so if you are on the lookout for them then you will be able to determine whether they might be caused by hepatitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

3. Vomiting <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course, with feeling nauseous may come vomiting. Vomiting <\/a>often happens with hepatitis C. He goes hand-in-hand with the feelings of nausea and loss of appetite that we already discussed. For example, you may have just eaten something, and you feel like it is going to immediately come back up. Even if that is not the case and you end up not vomiting, then you are still going to be feeling nausea that comes from wanting to throw up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But vomiting is a really common thing when it comes to hepatitis C. There are things that you want to keep in mind when it comes to vomiting with hepatitis C. The first thing is that you should always try to eat around a garbage can or somewhere where you can throw up if necessary because sometimes vomiting can come on quickly. Also, if you notice red blood or dark spots that look like coffee grounds you need to seek help immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Body Aches<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having regular body aches that are located deep within your bones is one of the big signs of hepatitis C. When you have hepatitis C<\/a>, you have deep-set inflammation that can cause you to experience serious aches and pains. The main thing behind the aches and pains that you will feel with this disease is an inflamed liver. Unfortunately, the only way that you can treat this particular symptom is with an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen and prescription pain medication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending upon the severity of your pain, your doctor may prescribe any number of pain meds that will allow you to get through the day. However, there are still going to be times that you experience pain because it is just something that you have to live with when you have hepatitis C. The more progressed your diseases, the more chronic your pain will become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

5. Easy Bruising<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are bruising <\/a>easily and often, then you definitely want to look at hepatitis C is a potential cause. Easily bruising can be a symptom of several different illnesses, but if you are already experiencing other symptoms of hepatitis C, then you definitely want to take this one under serious consideration. The reason that bruising happens with hep C is that the liver isn\u2019t processing nearly as fast as it should, so blood gets backed up into the spleen and loses its platelets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without those platelets circulating throughout the body, clotting does not happen as quickly as it should. This is usually throughout the entire body, and bruises may hang around for several days or weeks. Again, there are other reasons that you might bruise easily, so the symptom doesn\u2019t always lead to hepatitis C, but it is a symptom that should always be investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Chronic Fatigue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may also find yourself experiencing fatigue <\/a>throughout the day. Insomnia is a major sign of liver disease and it can make you feel more tired. For example, you may get up in the morning and try to do stuff but feel really low energy and fatigue. You might have to take a nap just a couple of hours later because of how tired you are feeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find yourself nodding off while doing normal tasks, especially after having woken up just a couple of hours prior, or few find yourself waking up every hour or two and sleeping several times throughout the day, then you definitely want to look into what is causing the problem. Chronic fatigue can be caused by around a dozen different things but it is one of the major signs of liver disease and hepatitis C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

7. Light Colored Stools<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Light-colored stools are also something you want to watch for. Your bathroom habits definitely will give you clues as to whether there is anything wrong with you that needs to be checked out by your doctor. In this case, the light-colored stool is the result of too much bilirubin <\/a>in the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longer you allow a condition like hepatitis C to go undiagnosed, the more difficult it will be for your doctor to treat it. That\u2019s why you want to pay attention to things like stool color and report these signs to your doctor if they seem unusual. In addition to light-colored stools, you may notice that your urine is darker as well. This is a common symptom of hepatitis C you want to watch out for as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Dry Skin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dry skin<\/a> is also a major sign of liver disease. Dry skin is something that everyone has to contend with from time to time. Some people just naturally have dry skin. But there are ways that you can combat regular symptoms of dry skin such as staying hydrated and with lotions and creams. It is when those lotions and creams stop working you have to worry about whether or not your dry skin is being caused by other problems such as a dermatological condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dry skin is such a minor issue then it would be almost impossible to pin down a cause like hepatitis C based upon that single symptom when combined with the other symptoms on this page then you have a much better set of clues to point to hepatitis C as a possible cause of the skin condition. You can try to alleviate the dermatological symptoms that come with hepatitis C with anti-itch cream and anti-inflammatory medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Jaundice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jaundice <\/a>describes a condition where the skin and the whites of the eyes start to turn yellow. It\u2019s typically a sign of extreme liver distress and occurs in people who are living with liver diseases, such as fatty liver disease or HCV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The liver produces a yellow-orange substance called \u201cbilirubin.\u201d This digestive juice helps the gastrointestinal system extract the nutrition from your food and breakdown the rest into waste. In most cases where the patient develops jaundice from liver disease, treating the liver with medications and supplements to boost liver health will cure the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The liver is one of the body\u2019s few regenerating organs and provided the patient seeks the right treatment and rest, and they should make a full recovery. Should the person already be dealing with a condition like liver cirrhosis, they may experience further complications. Apart from the yellowing symptoms of the disease, jaundice also produces symptoms of fever and chills, along with flu-like symptoms and abdominal pain.
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10. Itching<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People who are suffering from HCV infection may notice that they start to develop itchy skin. This sensation of wanting to scratch yourself all over is incredibly frustrating and provides hours of irritation that seem to affect everywhere on the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients who are experiencing symptoms of pruritus notice that the itching <\/a>symptoms intensify as the day progresses. Symptoms of pruritus include redness on the skin, as well as spots, bumps, or blisters, and dry, leathery, or scaly skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, pruritus only lasts a few days, and the patient will start to experience relief from their symptoms. However, patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus may notice that their itching symptoms continue to intensify as the disease progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that the excessive production of bilirubin in the liver may cause an inflammatory response in the skin, leading to the development of pruritus. In many cases, the patient will only experience relief after starting treatment for HCV infection.
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11. Dark-Colored Urine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When liver damage starts to reach significant levels, it may begin to cause symptoms of dark urine<\/a>. HCV infection affects how the liver produces and handles waste, leading to the development of dark urine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who experience their urine looking darker than usual may take it as a sign of dehydration of a urinary tract infection. In most cases, urine returns to its standard color within 24-hours after receiving adequate hydration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, liver infections such as HCV may also cause the condition as well. Should you notice that your urine changes color, combined with the other symptoms on this list, then you could be dealing with an HCV infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrange a consultation with your doctor for a diagnosis. Your doctor takes a blood sample and sends it to the lab for testing. Should your sample come back positive for Hepatitis C, then your doctor will administer medications to help eliminate the virus from your liver.
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12. Confusion and Slurred Speech<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The infection of the liver with the Hepatitis C<\/a> virus may also lead to the onset of a condition known as \u201chepatic encephalopathy.\u201d Patients with this disorder may notice that they start to lose their cognitive abilities, and many find that they \u201czone-out,\u201d into a mental state where they feel no emotions and don\u2019t think about anything in particular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hepatic encephalopathy also affects the personality, with some patients experiencing drastic changes in their temperament and emotions. Some partners of people suffering from hepatitis C infection may notice that their partner is no longer the same person. The patient may also lose their intellect, and struggle with bouts of confusion where they don\u2019t understand what they\u2019re doing in the hospital or how they got there in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The condition occurs when there\u2019s a is a diversion of portal blood into the circulatory system, inducing these rapid changes in personality and cognitive behavior.
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13. Spider Angiomas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People who are suffering from HCV infection may notice that they start to develop \u201cspider angiomas\u201d on the surface of the skin. These Angiomas take on the appearance of a spider web, hence their moniker. The angiomas occur due to a collection of dilated blood vessels<\/a> that cluster together close to the surface of the epidermis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people confuse spider angiomas with varicose views. While this condition has similar effects and symptoms, varicose veins typically occur as a natural part of the aging process \u2013 not due to viral infection, as is the case with patients who have HCV. The spider angiomas have a central point that takes on a darker appearance than the rest of the affected area. The spider-like web of blood vessels may be bright red or bluish-purple in color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical science is still at a loss to explain the exact connection between HCV infection and the development of spider angiomas.
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14. Fluid Buildup in the Abdomen <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As HCV infection spreads throughout the body, some patients may start to notice the onset of abdominal pain and cramps. These symptoms occur due to the buildup protein-containing fluid in the abdomen. Ascitic fluid leaks from the liver’s surface, accumulating in the stomach, causing swelling<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common cause of ascites is a liver disease that induces high-blood pressure in the portal veins that deliver blood to the liver. In most patients with the condition, these symptoms occur due to liver damage due to cirrhosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, people who are suffering from HCV infection may develop ascites due to the virus\u2019s impact on the liver and the portal veins. Should large amounts of fluid accumulate in the abdomen, the patient may start to experience symptoms of abdominal swelling that become extensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors analyze the abdominal fluid to look for the cause of the condition. In patients with HCV, the doctor will most likely already understand the reason for the development of ascites.
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