TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS
ENSURE MORE PATIENTS ARE LINKED
TO HEPATITIS C TESTING
POR Editorial Board
T
oday, the Hepatitis C virus is the
most common blood borne
chronic viral infection in the
United States. An estimated 5.2
million persons are chronically infected with
the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 75 percent of
patients are unaware of their infection.
Experiencing a lack of symptoms that a
chronically ill patient would typically
encounter is one reason the infection has
been referred to as “the silent killer.”
Prior to 2012, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended
HCV screening for only individuals with a
previous history of certain behaviors or health
indicators that are associated with HCV
infection, such as injection drug use,
hemodialysis, or abnormal liver function tests.
But in August 2012, the CDC published
“Recommendations for the Identification of
Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among
Persons Born During 1945–1965”
recommending an important expansion of
the target groups to include the baby boomer
generation. The new recommendation came
in response to the widespread presence of
HCV infection among baby boomers (those
born between 1945 and 1965), approximately
80 million individuals. The CDC estimates that
one out of every 30 baby boomers is living
with HCV infection.
In June 2013, the U.S. Preventative Services
Task Force (USPSTF) also revised its testing
recommendations to include baby boomers,
giving both HCV screening for at-risk
individuals and age-cohort screening a ‘B’
grade. The new recommendations entitled
“Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in
Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Recommendation Statement” similarly
marked a dramatic expansion of the USPSTF's
previous recommendation of screening for
HCV. The USPSTF recommendations are
particularly important in light of the
Affordable Care Act. Under the Affordable
Care Act, preventive services that have
received an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade from the USPSTF
must be covered by insurance policies
without cost-sharing and be part of the
essential health benefits for those individuals
eligible for Medicare.
Hepatitis C Today
The prevalence of HCV is highest in middleaged, non-Caucasian men. Despite improved
testing recommendations, up to 75 percent of
patients with chronic HCV are still unaware of
their HCV infection status. As a result, the
burden of disease and death continues to grow
despite recent advances in antiviral therap Y\˂