Hepatitis is a condition in which the liver becomes inflamed and the liver cells suffer damage, which can be permanent. There are different causes of hepatitis, including viruses and other infectious agents; medicines and toxins; and other inflammatory conditions. Hepatitis C is a virus that is usually spread thorough blood, for example through a blood transfusions with hepatitis-infected blood, or body fluids.
Initial Symptoms
Most children with hepatitis C will have few if any symptoms. They can loss of appetitive or anorexia; nausea and vomiting; and malaise, or a generalized feeling of tiredness or feeling ill. In other words, the initial symptoms usually resemble other common mild medical conditions, for example the flu.
Liver Symptoms
The progression of symptoms in children with hepatitis C is very slow, and children may not start having more severe symptoms until after weeks or even months after the initial exposure to the virus. The liver inflammation eventually becomes apparent, with enlargement and pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, where the liver is located. Under normal circumstances, the liver edge cannot be felt during routine physical exam. But the inflammation of hepatitis C makes the liver edge apparent, and can be felt several centimeters below the right rib margin. Another liver-related symptom of hepatitis C is jaundice, a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the eyes. Patients with healthy livers have no problems eliminating bilirubin, a byproduct of normal cell metabolism. The liver of children with hepatitis is unable to eliminate bilirubin, which then deposits in the skin, giving it the yellowish tinge often associated with the disease.
Late Symptoms
As the liver damage progresses, children with hepatitis exhibit other symptoms. The liver is involved in preserving the body's ability to clot off blood. When it fails, these clotting mechanisms can deteriorate, leading to easy bruising and bleeding. This worsens as patients become thrombocytopenic, or have a decrease in the platelet count. Platelets are also an important component of the clotting process. Children with hepatitis will have coffee-colored urine, a result of the body trying to get rid of the extra bilirubin through the kidneys and into the urine. Frequent vomiting often leads to dehydration and to electrolyte imbalances, which can be dangerous and cause brain swelling and cardiac arrhythmias. Hepatitis C can become a chronic inflammation, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and, if untreated, death.
