Though not the most common STD, Hepatitis C continues to be a threat to sexually active people across the U.S. Anyone who has unprotected sex risks contracting Hepatitis C, symptoms and all.
A big reason why Hepatitis C remains problematic is the fact that many people don’t know what Hepatitis C symptoms entail. As such, those infected will often unknowingly transmit the disease to their sexual partners.
Common Hepatitis C symptoms include fever, fatigue, appetite loss, nausea, joint and muscle pain, and tenderness in the liver. But for some people, Hepatitis C symptoms may remain hidden for months or longer following infection. In these cases, the only way to effectively diagnose Hepatitis C is to get an STD test. STD testing guidelines, as dictated by the CDC, state that anyone at a higher risk for infection should get a Hepatitis C test. Such people include IV drug users and healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the disease.
If the results of Hepatitis C testing do come back positive, treatment may or may not be necessary depending on the nature of the infection and the extent to which Hepatitis C symptoms are present. But even if no action is needed to treat Hepatitis C symptoms, those infected may be able to spare their partners from getting the disease.
