Hepatitis C is a liver infection that’s spread through blood.
It can be cured with treatment. But if left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.
Many people with hepatitis C won’t have any symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged. This means many people have the infection without knowing.
Most people will not have symptoms during the first 6 months of a hepatitis C infection. This stage is known as acute hepatitis C.
If symptoms do develop, they usually occur a few weeks after infection.
Early symptoms may include:
Symptoms can vary from person to person. They can also go away for long periods of time and then return.
Later symptoms may include:
The only way to know for certain if these symptoms are caused by hepatitis C is to get tested.
You can get tested for hepatitis C at:
Treatment takes 8 to 12 weeks, and usually cures the infection. But you won’t be immune to hepatitis C. So you should take steps to reduce your risk of becoming infected again.
If the infection is diagnosed early (acute hepatitis), you may not need treatment straight away. Instead, you may have another blood test after a few months to see if your body fights off the virus itself.
If the infection continues for several months (chronic hepatitis), treatment will usually be recommended.
There are things you can do to stop liver damage and prevent the infection spreading to others before you start treatment.
You can become infected with hepatitis C if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.
Some ways the infection can be spread include:
There’s no vaccine for hepatitis C.
There are things you can do to reduce your risk of becoming infected.
The risk of getting hepatitis C through vaginal sex is very low. It may be higher if blood is present, such as period (menstrual) blood or from bleeding during anal sex.
If left untreated for many years, hepatitis C can cause liver damage (cirrhosis). In severe cases, life-threatening problems such as liver failure or liver cancer can eventually develop.
Early treatment of hepatitis C prevents these serious complications, while later treatment reduces the risk.
Last updated:
19 December 2023