Hepatitis C is one of the sneakiest viruses known to date. It is one disease that is hard to diagnose because most patients never exhibit any form of symptoms. This is why hepatitis C should be on one’s regular screening list. Most often, a first diagnosis of the kidney indicates only slight damage. The condition is confirmed only when there are sudden changes in liver enzymes, detected through routine blood tests.

Although hepatitis C is a severe illness, it is very much treatable. However, for that, it is crucial to diagnose the disease in its early stages. Here are a few early warning signs of hepatitis C to watch out for.

1. Fatigue
People with hepatitis C may feel tired or exhausted for no apparent reason. If this is a recurrent symptom, and there is no immediate factor contributing to the tiredness, it could be a sign of hepatitis C.

2. Loss of appetite
Since hepatitis C starts taking a strain on one’s body, the patient may have a poor or complete loss of appetite, which can last for a prolonged period or occur in bouts.

3. Fever
Usually, the body’s first response to any infection is a fever. In the case of hepatitis C, the infection remains active in the body until it is treated, causing frequent fevers.

4. Irregularities in bowel movements and urine
Hepatitis C impacts and strains the gastrointestinal system. As a result, one could experience disruptions in both their urine and bowel movements. The patient’s health could be significantly compromised due to the infection spreading within the body.

5. Yellowing of the skin and eyes
This is another symptom that starts showing when the liver gets compromised. The body appears jaundiced and can develop a pale yellow color in both the skin and the eyes. 

6. Other symptoms
The other significant early warning signs of hepatitis C include sudden stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, and soreness and exhaustion in the muscles and joints.

The average time for an early sign or symptom to set in and even be visible is around six or seven weeks. While the earliest signs for hepatitis C can appear as early as two weeks from the time of infection, some symptoms set in quite later and may be hard to recognize and associate with the condition immediately. Sometimes, this delayed period could be as long as six months to even ten years. This is mainly because the infection is noticed only after the liver damage becomes apparent.