Hepatitis C is a viral disease of the liver. Though sharing unsterilized syringes and needles while abusing IV drugs is the most common route of transmission in many countries, you can end up with hepatitis C in plenty of other ways, too. Blood transfusions or unsafe sex can lead to an infection, for instance, along with needle-stick injuries.
Around 71 million people across the globe suffer from this disease. If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death, and almost 400,000 people all around the world die from complicated related to hepatitis C each year.
Although hepatitis C is a liver disease, it affects other organs too, as well as the general wellbeing of the person infected. The most common symptoms of this illness include:
- Pain in the upper right part of the abdomen
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Itchy skin
- Dark urine
- Light stool
- Jaundice
- Joint pain
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Mild fever
Hepatitis C and fatigue
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of a chronic hepatitis C infection. To make things worse, it's also one of the most common side effects of the medications deployed to treat the condition.
Some people are able to deal with everyday tasks and feel exhausted only in the evening, while others aren't able to function properly at all, and feel extremely tired the whole day. Patients with these symptoms often sleep longer than normal — but find no relief in slumber, as these patients wake up feeling like they haven't been asleep at all.
Although the correlation between chronic hepatitis C infection and fatigue has been proven, we still cannot determine the underlying cause of this link. It is believed that certain molecules (such as cytokines) our immune system produced to fight the chronic infection may be the cause of fatigue, but this is yet to be known for sure.
How to deal with fatigue caused by hepatitis C?
1. Sleep is important.
The first step to fighting fatigue is establishing a regular sleep schedule. I myself am a person who has really unhealthy habits when it comes to going to sleep at a reasonable hour. I often get distracted by the stuff on the internet, knowing very well that I have to get up early in the morning. On the other hand, I don't have a liver condition — not that I know of, at least. And I know how bad I feel for most of the day after. My point is, if an irregular sleep schedule can make healthy people feel exhausted, the effect on people who suffer from hepatitis is way worse. Even if it doesn't seem like it helps in the beginning, in time, you'll benefit from it.
2. Coffee is your friend. Sometimes.
If you wake up tired, a cup of coffee in the morning will give you enough energy to start the day. Besides that, caffeine has been proven to benefit the liver, and is even known to lower the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. It's important to be careful, though, because drinking coffee in the afternoon, or in the evening, might keep you up at night — and disrupt your carefully-established sleep schedule.
3. Start moving!
Even though it sounds like it doesn't make sense, being active will help you feel less tired. In time. Constantly fatigue makes people rest and be inactive for a long period of time. During that time, you lose muscle mass, and, consequentially, have even less strength.
I'm avoiding the word "exercise" on purpose, because it makes it sound like it's too hard. Nobody's expecting you to ride a bike for three hours, or run seven miles in 15 minutes. Start off with a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood, and do it for two weeks, for instance. Or set the pace yourself, depending on your condition and strength.
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