Hepatitis C Symptoms (MedicineNet)
About 75% of people have no symptoms when they first get HCV infection. The remaining 25% may have
- fatigue,
- loss of appetite,
- muscle aches, or
- fever. Very few people experience hepatitis symptoms or signs such as dark urine, yellow eyes, or clay colored stools in acute or early infection. Over time, people with chronic HCV infection may develop signs of liver inflammation that suggests that the infection may be present. Infected individuals may become easily fatigued or complain of nonspecific symptoms.
As cirrhosis develops, symptoms and signs increase and may include:
- Elevated liver enzymes in the blood
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Breast enlargement in men (gynecomastia)
- Redness of the palms of the hands
- Difficulty with the clotting of blood
- Spider-like blood vessels on the skin
- Abdominal pain
- Clay colored stools
- Bleeding from the esophagus
- Fluid in the abdomen
- Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Confusion
- Coma