Symptoms & Diagnosis

 Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hepatitis C:

One of the challenges of Hepatitis C is that it is often called a “silent disease” because symptoms usually appear very late, sometimes after many years. In the early stage, most patients feel completely healthy.

When symptoms occur, they may include:

• Constant fatigue and weakness.

• Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice).

• Dark-colored urine and pale stool.

• Abdominal pain and discomfort.

• Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

• Unexplained weight loss.

Symptoms

If untreated, these symptoms can develop into serious liver problems such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Hepatitis C:

Doctors use different tests to confirm the infection:

1. Anti-HCV antibody test – shows if a person was ever exposed to the virus.

2. HCV RNA test – confirms whether the virus is still active.

3. Genotype testing – identifies the strain of the virus to choose the best treatment.

4. Liver function tests (ALT, AST) – show the level of liver damage.

5. Ultrasound, Fibroscan, or Biopsy – check the extent of scarring (fibrosis/cirrhosis).

Early diagnosis is very important because treatment is most effective before severe liver damage happens.