The Mayo Clinic describes hepatitis C as a viral infection that specifically attacks the liver. They also report that most people infected with the virus are unaware of their infection, and have no symptoms. However, asymptomatic infected persons are still able to spread the virus, which occurs through unprotected sexual intercourse and contact with contaminated blood. The most common route of transmission is sharing needles used to inject illegal drugs. There are three different stages of hepatitis C infection: acute, chronic and end-stage.
Acute
This stage of hepatitis C infection may be asymptomatic, meaning the infected person experiences no symptoms. Merck Manuals, an online medical library, reports that if symptoms do occur, they may include blistering of the skin if it is exposed to sunlight; yellowing of the eyes and skin; nausea, loss of appetite, and weight loss; fever; and pain in the upper abdomen, where the liver is located. These symptoms generally resolve before the infected person experiences the chronic stage of hepatitis C infection.
Chronic
The National Digestive Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institutes of Health, describes the nature of chronic hepatitis C viral infection. A chronic infection occurs when the body cannot clear the viral infection. Most people infected with the virus are unable to clear it, meaning most people do progress to the chronic stage.
Infected persons who do not receive treatment for this infection may end up with cirrhosis of the liver, which means that non-functioning scar tissue has replaced the normal liver tissue. Some of the symptoms of the chronic stage are similar to the acute stage, and some are different, according to Merck Manuals and the National Digestive Information Clearinghouse. These symptoms include yellowing of the eyes and skin; swelling in the abdomen and/or ankles; excessive tiredness; nausea, loss of appetite, and unintended weight loss; visible blood vessels that appear in a spider web-like pattern on the surface of the skin; and an excessive time for bleeding to stop.
End-Stage
Dr. Michael Picco, MD, from the Mayo Clinic, describes features of end-stage hepatitis C infection. End-stage hepatitis C infection occurs in patients who did not receive adequate treatment to clear the infection. In this stage, scar tissue has replaced much of the normal liver, preventing the liver from functioning normally. End-stage hepatitis C infection, like the other two stages, can cause yellowing of the eyes and skin, excessive fatigue, lack of appetite, unintended weight loss and nausea. Other signs and symptoms of this stage may include abdominal pain and swelling, gastrointestinal bleeding, and brain damage due to toxins in the blood that the liver is unable to process and remove from the blood.
