Hepatitis C can become a serious illness for some individuals, but not for others. Most individuals who become infected with hepatitis C carry the virus for the rest of their lives. Most of these individuals have some liver damage but many do not feel sick from it. Others have no long term effects. An individual infected with hepatitis C most often has no symptoms, or may have symptoms such as fatigue, poor appetite, fever and vomiting.
Most individuals have no symptoms.
When symptoms do develop, those symptoms caused by the initial infection with hepatitis C virus usually occur 6 to 9 weeks after exposure but may be delayed for up to 6 months. Symptoms caused by chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus may appear many years after the initial infection. Hepatitis C is diagnosed by a blood test for the hepatitis C virus or a blood test for antibodies against the hepatitis C virus. Antiviral drugs are available to treat persons with hepatitis C infection. This rate is expected to improve as better drugs and treatment regimens become available.