Hepatitis C (HCV) infection: what percentage have no signs or symptoms?

Hepatitis C (HCV) infection: what percentage have no signs or symptoms?

• A. 20%
• B. 50%
• C. 80%
• D. 95%

Answer: (C)

Many people with hepatitis C do not show signs or symptoms at first. In most cases the infection is asymptomatic for years, so the virus can quietly affect the liver while the person feels fine. The proportion with no signs or symptoms is about eighty percent, meaning the vast majority won’t notice anything wrong right away. This helps explain why hepatitis C is often discovered only through routine screening or after liver damage has been detected. The other numbers would imply far fewer or far more people are asymptomatic and don’t match how the disease typically presents.

Many people with hepatitis C do not show signs or symptoms at first. In most cases the infection is asymptomatic for years, so the virus can quietly affect the liver while the person feels fine. The proportion with no signs or symptoms is about eighty percent, meaning the vast majority won’t notice anything wrong right away. This helps explain why hepatitis C is often discovered only through routine screening or after liver damage has been detected. The other numbers would imply far fewer or far more people are asymptomatic and don’t match how the disease typically presents.