What are the Consequences of Hepatitis C on your body?

While an individual has Hepatitis C, there is a high possibility that it goes for years without him/her knowing that he/she is infected. First of all, it is significant to comprehend how this virus works. For those who don’t know what is chronic HCV and what its effects are, it is the long-lasting liver infection that is caused due to the Hepatitis C virus.

It starts as an acute Hepatitis which begins within the first 6 months of your exposure to this virus. In case you get infected, Chronic Hepatitis C might hurt the body silently. This can take years or even several decades to feel the symptoms. Once the person does, this virus has already damaged the body in plenty of ways.

In the majority of cases, this disease is curable. Its treatments can put a stop to the virus, even before it makes an individual feel sick. That can support you to prevent or reverse health issues as well as keeps you from spreading it to other individuals. However, if left untreated, HCV can have serious effects on many systems and organs within your body.

Table of Contents

Check out how HCV, which causes liver inflammation, can affect your body –

Diabetes –

As per the American College of Gastroenterology, this disease relevantly increases one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes. In fact, Diabetes develops 3 times more often in individuals with Hepatitis C and as a result, a few researchers have even begun referring to this disease as Hepatitis C symptom. HCV seems to hinder glucose metabolism. If unfortunately, you have diabetes, it seems to boost fibrosis progress in the liver.

Hepatic Encephalopathy and Brain Fog –

A lot of individuals with Hepatitis C report that they undergo brain fog which is the term that can refer to any sort of difficulty with focusing, remembering, focusing, or thinking. While medical personnel don’t know the exact reason behind its occurrence, they believe that it might be an effect of HCV on your brain or it might be because of a boost of toxins in your body that can affect your brain. In case your liver develops the condition of cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy can take place. This brain condition occurs while your toxins that are commonly cleared by your liver collect as well as cause damage to your brain.

Liver Cancer –

The relation between hepatitis c and liver cancer is quite vivid as the former can cause your liver to become inflamed and swollen. Over time, it can cause fibrosis or scarring. Fibrosis might develop into cirrhosis, or extreme permanent scarring, in which huge liver sections can’t function. If left untreated, this might result in liver failure. Also, cirrhosis enhances liver cancer risk.

Blood & Vessel issues –

Those individuals who have Hepatitis C usually get the condition known as cryoglobulinemia. This occurs when specific proteins in the blood stick together during cold weather. They can build up in your vessels as well as block the blood flow that causes damage and swelling. This condition can impact your organs, skin, joints, and nerves. Also, Hepatitis C can cause issues with blood itself. You might not make sufficient platelets that assist the blood clot or white blood cells that fight infections.

Kidney Disease –

The renal system is not immune to the effects of Chronic Hepatitis C infection. Hepatitis C is associated with the enhanced incidence of the kidney disease known as glomerulonephritis which takes place while tiny filters known as glomeruli get inflamed or infected. Now that you know how hepatitis can damage the liver, it is also important for you to steer clear of its symptoms related to kidney disease such as high BP, fatigue, and swelling in the face as well as extremities.

One of the major symptoms is foamy urine as well as due to the release of excessive proteins into the urine. This disease can destroy the kidneys to a point where they can no more efficiently eliminate waste products from the bloodstream as well as even result in renal failure.

Anxiety and Depression –

Depression is among the most common psychiatric conditions related to HCV. A few studies found that a maximum of half of the individuals with Hepatitis C Virus have undergone depression. Also, anxiety is normal among people with Hepatitis C Virus. It can cause severe feelings of nervousness or worry.

Muscle and Joint Pain –

The condition known as arthralgia causes joint pain as well as is usual in individuals with Hepatitis C. It is different from arthritis that causes swelling and pain in joints. However, infected individuals can also face Hepatitis C-associated Arthritis. Causing muscle pain and body aches, Fibromyalgia is also usual in individuals with Hepatitis C.

Skin Disease –

Sometimes, HCV can result in skin lesions on your hands’ backs, your neck, and face, and even your forearms as these are the symptoms of the skin disease known as PCT, or porphyria cutanea tarda which can make the skin more fragile. Also, it can enhance the chances of developing lichen planus that normally displays the series of reddish bumps on the skin. At times, the bumps itch, however not always, as well as they can form the scaly patches over time. These bumps can also develop inside the mouth where they manifest as the series of tiny white dots.

For all those people wondering is hepatitis causes liver failure or not, well you’ve already got the answer above as Cirrhosis can result in liver failure, and in extreme cases, liver cancer. A lot of individuals infected with Hepatitis C Virus don’t have any symptoms, particularly in the acute stage. A few report normal fatigue, nonspecific pain, and arches, or fever. In the chronic state, you will likely benefit from the treatment for preventing permanent damage to the liver besides other possible liver-threatening difficulties.

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