What are the characteristics of hepatitis?

Symptoms of hepatitis can include: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools, joint pain, and jaundice.

What indicates Hep C?

A blood test, called an HCV antibody test, is used to find out if someone has ever been infected with the hepatitis C virus. The HCV antibody test, sometimes called the anti-HCV test, looks for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus in blood.

What is the most common cause of Hep C?

Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood from an infected person. Today, most people become infected with the hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment used to prepare and inject drugs.

Can your body clear hep C?

Yes. From 15% to 20% of people with hep C clear it from their bodies without treatment. It’s more likely to happen in women and people who have symptoms. But it usually happens between 4 and 18 months after symptoms start.

Can you get hep C from kissing?

Hepatitis C is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.

How does Hep C affect the body?

When a chronic infection occurs, it can cause cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, over time. As hepatitis C progresses, symptoms like skin problems, blood disorders, and weight loss may appear. Dangerous outcomes like severe liver damage, liver cancer, and liver failure can also occur.

How did I get hep C if I don’t do drugs?

Other risk factors include receiving blood or blood products (or organ transplants) before 1992, when stricter virus-control measures went into effect. Also high risks: being exposed to needlestick injuries, undergoing kidney dialysis, having HIV infection, or being born to a mother who has hepatitis C.

What are signs that hep C is getting worse?

Symptoms of end-stage liver disease may include:
  • Easy bleeding or bruising.
  • Persistent or recurring yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • Intense itching.
  • Abdominal pain.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Nausea.
  • Swelling due to fluid buildup in your abdomen and legs.
  • Problems with concentration and memory.

Does hep C show up in routine blood tests?

Many people think that because they’ve had a blood test, they will have automatically been tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C and therefore don’t have to worry. In most situations this is not the case.

How do you get hep C positive?

Sex with an HCV-infected person (an inefficient means of transmission, although HIV-infected men who have sex with men [MSM] have increased risk of sexual transmission) Sharing personal items contaminated with infectious blood, such as razors or toothbrushes.

How long does hep C take to show up?

The hepatitis C (HCV) window period is usually 4–10 weeks from the time of exposure. After 6 months , most people will have developed enough antibodies for an HCV test to detect. In rare cases, however, antibodies can take up to 9 months to develop.

Can you get hep C from saliva?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis C does not spread through kissing, hugging, sharing utensils, coughing, sneezing, or sharing food or water. The virus also does not pass through saliva.

How long can hep C go undetected?

People with an HCV infection commonly go without noticeable symptoms for as many as 20 to 30 years. Those who are infected experience no significant symptoms when they first acquire the infection, and then they can remain symptomless for years, even while the infection is causing damage to their liver and other organs.