WEBVTT

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Hepatitis C is a viral infection that

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causes liver inflammation and damage dR

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Malone . What can you tell us about ?

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Hepatitis C . While major spencer

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hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis

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C virus , which spreads through contact

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with an infected person's blood . The

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virus can cause an acute or chronic

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infection , acute hepatitis C is a

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short term infection with symptoms that

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last up to six months . Many people

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with hepatitis C have no symptoms , but

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acute infections can produce symptoms

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123 months after exposure to the virus .

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Those symptoms can include dark yellow

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urine , fatigue fever , pale or clay

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colored stool , joint pain , loss of

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appetite , nausea , abdominal pain ,

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vomiting and jaundice , or yellowing of

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the eyes and skin . Some people are

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able to fight off Hepatitis C infection ,

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but for a majority of people , an acute

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infection will eventually develop into

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chronic or long lasting hepatitis C ,

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although many people with chronic

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hepatitis C have no symptoms and don't

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know they have the disease . The

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infection can cause serious

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complications , including cirrhosis ,

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or late stage scarring of the liver ,

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chronic liver failure , also called end

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stage liver disease , where the liver

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can no longer perform important

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functions or replace damaged cells and

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liver cancer . Early diagnosis and

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treatment can prevent these

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complications , so it's important for

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people at risk of contracting hepatitis

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C to be screened .