Answer
Chronic hepatitis C often has no symptoms for years until liver damage occurs.
- Symptoms may include:
- Easy bleeding and bruising
- Loss of appetite
- Yellowing of the skin (jaundice), which may be more noticeable in White individuals, or yellowing of the whites of the eyes in people of all skin tones
- Dark-colored urine
- Itchy skin
- Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites) or swelling in the legs
- Weight loss and fatigue
- Confusion, drowsiness, and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
- Spiderlike blood vessels on the skin (spider angiomas)
- Hepatitis C can lead to:
- Cirrhosis: Scarring of the liver that can take decades to develop and makes it harder for the liver to function.
- Liver cancer: A small percentage of individuals with chronic hepatitis C develop liver cancer.
- Liver failure: Extensive scarring can cause the liver to stop working.
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