Hepatitis C has three stages: early, chronic, and final. Symptoms in the early stage can be mild or nonexistent, while chronic hepatitis C can cause severe liver problems and cirrhosis. The final stage can lead to liver failure, cancer, and the need for a liver transplant.
There are three stages of hepatitis C: early, chronic and final. Many people in the early stages of hepatitis C don’t even realize they have the disease because sometimes there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild that people believe they are sick with the flu. Chronic hepatitis C occurs when people are unable to get rid of hepatitis C and it becomes an ongoing problem. In the final stage of hepatitis C, liver failure often occurs, sometimes leading to death. There are many people in the early stages of hepatitis C that last up to 20 years before experiencing severe and life-threatening symptoms.
The most common symptoms people experience during the early stages of hepatitis C are vomiting, joint pain, and fever. Sometimes these symptoms are also accompanied by a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, also known as jaundice. People with hepatitis C may also notice that their urine is darker in color than normal and that their skin is unusually itchy. Many people who get hepatitis C are able to fight it off and never have problems with the disease again, but some people develop chronic hepatitis C, which is the second stage of the disease. People who are in the early stages of hepatitis C don’t always require treatment if the disease goes away on its own.
During chronic hepatitis C, most people begin to notice severe symptoms. Weight loss, abdominal pain, and severe liver problems are common during the second stage. Many people develop cirrhosis and liver scarring when they have chronic hepatitis C. During this stage, fatigue is incredibly common and may be the first sign a person may experience to alert them that something is seriously wrong. There are many people who never realize they have hepatitis C until they reach this stage of the disease.
The last stage of hepatitis C is the most life-threatening. Liver failure, intestinal bleeding, and high blood pressure are common during the end stage of hepatitis C. People who are in this stage of hepatitis C could also develop liver cancer. When the liver has been severely damaged by hepatitis C, sometimes the only option for treatment is a liver transplant. Even after liver transplantation, hepatitis C is likely to come back, and patients usually need to continue taking antiviral medications to help prevent future problems.
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