Hepatitis C patients should not use alcohol or drugs. Breast milk, semen, urine, saliva and tears may contain the Hepatitis C Virus. The disease however, may still be progressing and causing damage to the liver. Only a small percentage of people become sick enough to seek medical attention after contracting HCV, when they are diagnosed with acute Hepatitis. Many people feel well during the long silent part of the disease when the liver is slowly being damaged.
Some people experience extreme fatigue and some have a persistent itchiness of the skin.
A few even develop a skin rash, usually around the ankles or over the shins. The disease progresses at a variable rate. The disease progresses more quickly if the infected person regularly drinks alcohol. After cirrhosis develops, complications may develop at any time. Blood diseases are a real possibility when receiving a piercing or tattoo.