Symptoms of Hepatitis C

For Everyone

Key points

  • Many people with hepatitis C don't look or feel sick.
  • If people do have symptoms, they are usually mild.
  • Serious signs of liver damage might not show up for 20 years or more.
  • Testing is the best way for your doctor to diagnose hepatitis C.
A man standing by the sick in his kitchen while drinking a glass of water

Signs and symptoms

Hepatitis C can affect people differently.

Many people with hepatitis C do not have symptoms and do not know they are infected. If symptoms occur with an acute infection, they can appear any time from 2 weeks to 6 months after exposure.

For Health Care Providers Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Hepatitis C

Symptoms of acute hepatitis C can include:

  • Dark urine or clay-colored stools
  • Feeling tired
  • Fever
  • Joint pain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea, stomach pain, throwing up
  • Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)

Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C can take decades to develop.

Keep in mind

Even if you don't have any symptoms, you may still have hepatitis C and can pass the virus to someone else

Prevention & detection

There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid activities that can expose you to the virus — like sharing injection drug use equipment.

Learn more about preventing hepatitis C.

When to talk to your doctor

If you are concerned you might have hepatitis C, you should talk to your doctor and get tested. Since many people don't experience symptoms, testing is the best way to diagnose hepatitis C.

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Content Source
Division of Viral Hepatitis
About This Page
Published: May 15, 2024
Updated: December 18, 2023

This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: November 3, 2026

The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.