Hepatitis C Home Test

WAYS OF TRANSMISSION Hepatitis C is spread when blood infected with the hepatitis C virus enters the body of a person. People can become infected with the virus during activities such as: Sex, Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes, Birth, Sharing needles and syringes.

EARLY SYMPTOMS OF HEPATITIS C INFECTION About 70% - 80% will not have any symptoms when they become infected with hepatitis C. When symptoms do occur they may include one or more of the following:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Clay-colored bowel movements
• Joint pain
• Jaundice

If symptoms occur they begin to occur 2 - 24 weeks after infection.

COMPLICATIONS OF HEPATITIS C INFECTION Most persons with chronic HCV infection are asymptomatic. However, many have chronic liver disease, which can range from mild to severe, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Chronic liver disease in HCV-infected persons is usually insidious, progressing slowly without any signs or symptoms for several decades. Some persons with chronic HCV infection develop medical conditions due to hepatitis C that are not limited to the liver. These conditions are thought to be attributable to the body's immune response to HCV infection. Such conditions can include

• Diabetes mellitus, which occurs three times more frequently in HCV-infected persons
• Glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease caused by inflammation of the kidney
• Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia, a condition involving the presence of abnormal proteins in the blood
• Porphyria cutanea tarda, an abnormality in heme production that causes skin fragility and blistering
• Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which might occur somewhat more frequently in HCV-infected persons