Hepatitis is the condition identified by the inflammation of the liver. Different kinds of viruses cause the condition, and hepatitis C is the most severe hepatitis virus. Knowing the signs and treatment options of hepatitis C can help you to a large extent in fighting the disease. Here’s what you need to know.

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis C
The symptoms of the condition can be categorized as the following:

• Early symptoms
  As many as 80 percent of people with acute hepatitis C do not experience any symptoms, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In other cases, the symptoms will start showing not soon after the virus affects a person. The symptoms in such cases will include fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite. In some cases where the symptoms start to show right after contracting the infection, the signs can also include the following kinds of pain:
  • Pain in the stomach
  • Vomiting or nausea
  • Pain in muscles or joints
  • Experience unusual bowel or urine movements
  • Yellowness on the skin or the eyes
    The early symptoms of hepatitis C usually start to occur after 6 or 7 weeks of exposure to the virus.

• Delayed symptoms
  In some hepatitis C patients, the symptoms begin to occur two weeks after the exposure. In some cases, it may take longer for the symptoms to show up. It can take anywhere between 6 months and 10 years, or even more sometimes, to experience the virus’ symptoms. This happens because it can take the virus several years to cause damage to the liver.

Treatment for hepatitis C
Being aware of the signs and treatment options of hepatitis C is essential in fighting this deadly disease. Once you have started experiencing the symptoms, you must visit a doctor for a diagnosis. There will be various tests conducted to diagnose the condition, and once it is done, based on the severity of the patient’s condition, the treatment will be given. The various treatment options for hepatitis C will include the following:

• Medications
  Antiviral medications are prescribed to patients to get rid of the virus from the body. This course of treatment is set to remove hepatitis C from the body in 12 weeks. Some recent developments in the hepatitis C medicines have offered an advanced treatment option for the condition with a new medication that acts directly on the condition. These can be given in combination with other antiviral medications.
• Liver transplant
  If there is a severe damage caused due to the condition, transplanting the liver can be an option. It is a surgical procedure in which the damaged liver is removed and replaced by a healthy liver. The healthy livers are usually taken from who donors who have passed away.