Hepatitis C Testing Proposed for All Baby Boomers

Expanded hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing has been proposed calling for all baby boomers in the US, individuals born from 1945 through 1965, to get a one-time test for the virus.

The proposed new recommendations could identify an additional 800,000 people living with HCV infection and prevent more than 120,000 HCV-related deaths during the current baby boomer cohort lifespan.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA), HCV can go undetected for decades and is the most common reason for liver transplantation and the leading cause of liver cancer, which is the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. More than 15,000 Americans die each year from HCV-related illness, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

More than 75% of American adults infected with HCV are baby boomers, representing an estimated 2.1 million people. In addition, baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected with HCV than other American adults are. The CDC states that approximately 1 in 30 baby boomers has been infected with the virus, but most do not know it. The new guidelines, which also call for all baby boomers diagnosed with HCV infection to be linked to care and treatment, expand the existing, risk-based testing guidelines. HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) qualitative test may be used to distinguish between a current or past infection and the HCV Viral Load quantitative test detects and measures the number of viral RNA particles in the blood.

John W. Ward, MD, Director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at CDC, said, "Most baby boomers were infected when they were in their teens or twenties. Some may have been infected through receiving transfusions before the development of modern blood screening procedures in 1992, or experimentation with injection drugs." Dr. Ward added, "Because these exposures were often so long ago, many baby boomers may not even remember the events that could have placed them at risk, and many healthcare providers are reluctant to ask patients about past behaviors. As a result, many baby boomers have not been tested for hepatitis C."

Related Links:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention