CIENCIASMEDICASNEWS: CDC Vital Signs - Hepatitis C: Testing baby boomers saves lives

miércoles, 8 de mayo de 2013

CDC Vital Signs - Hepatitis C: Testing baby boomers saves lives

May 2013

Hepatitis C

Testing baby boomers saves lives

Hepatitis C is a serious virus infection that over time can cause liver damage and even liver cancer. Early treatment can prevent this damage. Too many people with hepatitis C do not know they are infected, so they don't get the medical care they need.
Once infected with the hepatitis C virus, nearly 8 in 10 people remain infected for life. A simple blood test, called a hepatitis C antibody test, can tell if you have ever been infected, but cannot tell whether you are still infected. Only a different follow-up blood test can determine if you are still infected. CDC data show only half of people with a positive hepatitis C antibody test had the follow-up test reported to the health department. The other half did not have a follow-up test reported, although some of them may have been tested. Without the follow-up test, a person will not know if they still have hepatitis C and cannot get the medical care they need.
Baby boomers (people born from 1945 through 1965) can:

Ask your doctor, nurse, or other health care provider for a hepatitis C blood test.
Encourage family and friends born from 1945 through 1965 to get tested for hepatitis C.

Doctors, nurses and other health care providers can:

Test all baby boomers and people with other risks for hepatitis C.
Make sure everyone who tests positive on the first test gets the follow-up test to find out if they are still infected.

Problem

Many baby boomers got infected before the dangers of hepatitis C were well known.

Anyone can get hepatitis C, but adults born from 1945 through 1965 are 5 times more likely to have hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is mostly spread through contact with an infected person's blood.
Some people could have gotten infected before widespread screening of blood began in 1992.
People who have injected drugs, even if only once in the past, could have been infected with the virus from sharing a needle or drug equipment with someone who had hepatitis C.
Many people do not know how or when they were infected.

Hepatitis C causes serious liver disease, even liver cancer.

Most people with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms. If symptoms do appear, they can be a sign of serious liver damage.
Hepatitis C can cause liver scarring and liver failure if left untreated.
Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer.
Successful treatment can get rid of hepatitis C from the body.

Blood tests are needed to tell if you have hepatitis C.

A screening blood test, called an antibody test, shows if a person has ever been infected with the hepatitis C virus.
If the antibody test is positive, a follow-up RNA blood test is needed to see if a person is still infected with the hepatitis C virus.
A CDC study shows through health department reports that only 50% of adults who had a positive antibody test had a follow-up test reported. Without a follow-up test, people won't know if they are still infected with the hepatitis C virus.

People Who Should be Tested

Born from 1945 through 1965
Have received blood products with clotting factor before 1987
Have received blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992
Have ever injected drugs, even if only one time
Have HIV
Have been on kidney dialysis for several years
Are health or public safety workers who have been stuck with a needle or other sharp object with blood from a person with hepatitis C or unknown hepatitis C status
Born to mother with hepatitis C

SOURCE: CDC Recommendations 1998, 1999, and 2012

Infographic

Test Patients Born from 1945 through 1965 for Hepatitis C

SOURCE: CDC updated guidance, 2013

What Can Be Done

US government is:

Working together with many federal agencies to carry out the Strategic Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis [PDF - 672KB].
Funding programs that support hepatitis C testing and getting people linked to care and treatment.
Educating doctors, nurses, and other health care providers about hepatitis C, developing clinical tools and issuing updated guidance to help carry out recommended testing.
Working with states and communities to improve reporting of hepatitis C test results in order to get people needed services.
Increasing coverage under the Affordable Care Act so more people will have health insurance for testing and treatment.

State and local public health departments can:

Let people know where they can get blood tests for hepatitis C.
Follow-up with health care providers and laboratories for people who have a positive hepatitis C antibody test but have no record of a follow-up test.
Monitor and report people with hepatitis C infection and promote best practices for testing and linking patients to care.

Doctors, nurses, and other health care providers can:

Set up systems to make to make sure all patients born from 1945 through 1965 are tested for hepatitis C.
Test patients with other risks for hepatitis C, including blood transfusions before 1992 or injection drug use.
Make sure everyone who has a positive hepatitis C antibody test gets the follow-up blood RNA test and is linked to lifesaving care and treatment if infected.

Baby boomers and all persons at risk can:

Ask their doctor, nurse, or other health care provider about getting tested for hepatitis C.
Make sure to get a follow-up test if the antibody test is positive to see if they are still infected with the hepatitis C virus.
To learn more about hepatitis, visit:

People living with hepatitis C can:

Eat a healthy diet, stay physically active, see a doctor on a regular basis and ask if you could benefit from new and better treatments.
Talk to your doctor before taking over the counter medicines and avoid alcohol because they can cause liver damage.
Reduce the risk of transmission to others by not donating blood or sharing personal items that might come into contact with blood.