The new recommendations, which come from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and were published March 2, 2020, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), say adults ages 18 to 79 should get screened for hepatitis C. Teens who are at high risk for infections because they inject illegal drugs should also be screened for hepatitis C. “The number of people with hepatitis C in the United States is continuing to grow, and new evidence shows that it is affecting people in a greater range of ages,” says Michael Barry, MD, a member of the task force and a clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. “Screening can help detect infection earlier when patients can benefit most from the treatment,” Dr. Barry adds. One-time screening is suitable for most adults, according to the guidelines. But anyone who has injected illegal drugs should be tested more often, according to the task force. More research is needed to determine the ideal timing for screening and the optimal frequency of testing for high-risk individuals, Barry says. RELATED: What to Know About Opioid Dependence
Facts and Statistics on Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is spread when blood from an infected individual enters the body of somebody who isn’t infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Symptoms of hepatitis C can include fever, fatigue, discolored urine and bowel movements, abdominal pain, nausea, joint pain, and jaundice, according to the CDC. Most people don’t experience any symptoms at all, and many cases can clear up without treatment, the CDC notes. RELATED: 10 Surprising Reasons You’re at Risk of Hepatitis C
A Spike in Hepatitis C Cases, Especially Among Young Adults
An estimated 4.1 million Americans currently have hepatitis C or have previously been infected, the task force reports in JAMA. In 2017 alone, an estimated 44,700 people developed new infections, according to the task force, an almost fourfold increase over the previous decade. The most rapid spike in acute hepatitis C infections has been among young adults ages 20 to 39 who inject drugs, according to the paper in JAMA. Infection rates also rose more rapidly among white people, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives, according to the study. Previously, the task force had recommended in 2013 that only baby boomers get screened for these infections, because most cases occurred in these older Americans born between 1945 and 1965. In this generation, most people got infected from blood transfusions or surgery. Since then, advances in screening the blood supply for hepatitis C and improved sterilization techniques for surgery have mostly eliminated these routes of infection, according to University of Iowa Health Care. RELATED: 7 Health Conditions That Are Linked to Hepatitis C
Screening and Treatment for Hepatitis C
Today, a simple finger-prick blood test is used to screen for hepatitis C, and infections can be treated and often cured with a short course of antiviral pills, says Camilla Graham, MD, MPH. Dr. Graham is an infectious disease specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and she coauthored an editorial accompanying the study in JAMA. Compared with previous treatments, “the most recent medications are far easier to take — they are pills taken by mouth once a day for 8 to 12 weeks and cure 99 percent of people,” Graham says. There are few risks to screening, says Joshua Barocas, MD, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center and a coauthor of a separate editorial accompanying the study, in JAMA Network Open. “With such good cure rates from the direct-acting antivirals, people can complete their medication regimen which lasts — at most — three months and move on with their life without the infection,” Dr. Barocas says. “Getting screened and treated can help keep family members and others from getting the infection as well.” RELATED: 7 Things to Know About Life After Hepatitis C Treatment
