hepatitis C

:  an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a flavivirus (species Hepatitis C virus of the genus Hepacivirus), is often asymptomatic in its early stages but may be marked by fatigue, fever, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal tenderness, and muscle and joint pain, and is usually transmitted by infected blood (such as by injection of an illicit drug, blood transfusion, or exposure to blood or blood products) ◆The acute or short-term stage of hepatitis C typically progresses to a long-term or chronic infection which often leads to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.