Many people with chronic hepatitis C have no symptoms of liver disease. That is, they don’t necessarily feel or look sick. If symptoms are present, they are usually mild, aren’t very specific (some people simply say they’re feeling “blah”), and tend to come and go. These symptoms may include fatigue, pains of the upper-right portion of the gut, nausea, decreased appetite, and muscle and joint pains.

If the hepatitis C begins causing serious liver damage or cirrhosis, symptoms may become more prominent. In addition to fatigue, there may be muscle weakness, poor appetite, nausea, jaundice, weight loss, itching, dark urine, fluid retention, abdominal swelling and ankle swelling.