Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver infection that’s spread through blood.

It can be cured with treatment. But if left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.

Symptoms of hepatitis C

Many people with hepatitis C won’t have any symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged. This means many people have the infection without knowing.

Early symptoms (acute hepatitis C)

Most people will not have symptoms during the first 6 months of a hepatitis C infection. This stage is known as acute hepatitis C.

If symptoms do develop, they usually occur a few weeks after infection.

Early symptoms may include:

• a high temperature (fever) of 38°C (100.4°F) or above
• tiredness
• loss of appetite
• abdominal pain
• feeling and being sick
• yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Later symptoms (chronic hepatitis C)

Symptoms can vary from person to person. They can also go away for long periods of time and then return.

Later symptoms may include:

• feeling tired all the time
• joint and muscle aches and pain
• feeling sick
• brain fog – including problems with memory, concentration and mental tasks such as arithmetic
• mood swings
• depression or anxiety
• indigestion or bloating
• itchy skin
• abdominal pain

When to get medical advice

Speak to your GP practice if:

• you have symptoms of hepatitis C
• there’s a risk you’re infected with hepatitis C, even if you don’t have symptoms

The only way to know for certain if these symptoms are caused by hepatitis C is to get tested.

Getting tested for hepatitis C

You can get tested for hepatitis C at:

• your GP practice
• a sexual health clinic
• a drug treatment service
• most substance use recovery services

Treatments for hepatitis C

Treatment takes 8 to 12 weeks, and usually cures the infection. But you won’t be immune to hepatitis C. So you should take steps to reduce your risk of becoming infected again.

If the infection is diagnosed early (acute hepatitis), you may not need treatment straight away. Instead, you may have another blood test after a few months to see if your body fights off the virus itself.

If the infection continues for several months (chronic hepatitis), treatment will usually be recommended.

Things you can do yourself

There are things you can do to stop liver damage and prevent the infection spreading to others before you start treatment.

Do

• eat a healthy and balanced diet
• exercise regularly
• speak to your doctor if you’re thinking of having a baby

Don’t

• do not drink alcohol
• do not smoke
• do not share toothbrushes, razors, needles or other injecting equipment with other people

How is hepatitis C spread?

You can become infected with hepatitis C if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.

Some ways the infection can be spread include:

• injecting drugs and sharing needles and other drug equipment, such as spoons and filters
• sharing toothbrushes, razors or scissors contaminated with infected blood
• from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby
• having sex with an infected person without using a condom – if your partner has hepatitis C, you should be tested
• if you had a blood transfusion in Scotland before September 1991, for example after a traffic accident or during childbirth, you may have been exposed to hepatitis C – all donor blood in Scotland has been screened for hepatitis C since September 1991
• having a tattoo, body piercing, or medical or dental treatment with unsterilised equipment

How to prevent hepatitis C

There’s no vaccine for hepatitis C.

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of becoming infected.

Do

• use condoms when having anal sex, or sex with a new partner
• get vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B
• if you inject drugs, use a fresh safe injecting kit (available from needle exchanges) every time you inject

Don’t

• do not share any drug-injecting equipment – including needles, syringes, spoons and filters
• do not share razors or toothbrushes

The risk of getting hepatitis C through vaginal sex is very low. It may be higher if blood is present, such as period (menstrual) blood or from bleeding during anal sex.

Complications of hepatitis C

If left untreated for many years, hepatitis C can cause liver damage (cirrhosis). In severe cases, life-threatening problems such as liver failure or liver cancer can eventually develop.

Early treatment of hepatitis C prevents these serious complications, while later treatment reduces the risk.