OVERCOMING SEXUAL HEALTH CHALLENGES:
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that specifically targets the liver, leading to inflammation and swelling that gradually damages liver tissues over time. This condition is a form of hepatitis, which refers to any inflammation of the liver that can be caused by various factors, including viral infections. Compared to other forms of viral hepatitis, however, hepatitis C is particularly persistent and can remain in the body for an extended period.
If left unchecked, chronic inflammation caused by hepatitis C can have severe consequences for liver health, including liver failure and the need for transplantation. Unfortunately, many people with hepatitis C are unaware of their condition because symptoms may not appear until significant liver damage has already occurred.
Signs and Symptoms
Hepatitis C is primarily spread through contact with infected blood, with the most common transmission route in the U.S. being the sharing of needles for intravenous drug use. Worldwide, transmission often occurs in medical settings where equipment is not adequately sterilized.
The majority of people with hepatitis C do not experience any noticeable symptoms. During the acute stage of infection, some individuals may experience mild, flu-like symptoms, while others may experience symptoms similar to those of liver disease, such as abdominal pain and jaundice. In some cases, symptoms of late-stage liver disease may develop many years later when liver failure begins to occur.
If you experience acute symptoms of hepatitis C, you may notice:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Body aches
- Loss of appetite
These symptoms may also resemble those of acute liver failure, including:
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
- Abdominal pain (especially in the upper right quadrant)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dark-colored urine and light-colored stools
If you do not experience early warning symptoms, you may develop late warning symptoms after many years of chronic infection, including the effects of cirrhosis. In addition to the symptoms above, you may also experience:
- Swelling in the arms and legs due to fluid buildup (edema)
- Swelling in the abdomen due to fluid buildup (ascites)
- Itchy skin
- Unexplained weight loss
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Difficulty thinking or remembering, confusion (hepatic encephalopathy)
Treatment and Diagnosis
The diagnosis of hepatitis C typically begins with a blood test, which is a simple screening procedure. Your healthcare provider will draw a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm and send it to the lab for analysis. If your blood sample contains antibodies against hepatitis C, it indicates that you have been infected with the virus. Your provider will follow up with additional blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.
To determine if you are still infected, your provider may order an RNA PCR test, which looks for evidence of the actual virus in your blood, not just the antibodies. This test can also help measure the quantity of the virus in your blood and identify the specific strain.
If you are diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, your healthcare provider will likely want to assess the extent of liver damage.
Tests to evaluate the health of your liver may include:
Liver function tests: These are a series of blood tests that assess the health of your liver.
Elastography: This is a noninvasive imaging test that measures the stiffness or fibrosis of your liver tissue using ultrasound or MRI.
Liver biopsy: In some cases, your healthcare provider may take a sample of tissue from your liver to test in the lab. This is usually done through a simple bedside procedure using a hollow needle inserted through your abdominal wall, but only as a last resort when other tests are inconclusive.