This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.
Researchers estimated that more than 800,000 people in the United States with chronic hepatitis C virus infection may have advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis and need care. However, laboratory testing data indicated that only half of these patients were evaluated for antiviral treatment.
“Persons with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis are at highest risk of HCV-related complications and urgently require care,” R. Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH, of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, and colleagues wrote in Clinical Infectious Diseases. “Clearly, multiple barriers to treatment exist in the United States. Cost and restricted access to care may be the greatest barriers to treatment, despite evidence that treating infected persons early is cost effective.”
According to the researchers, the number of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related deaths has steadily increased in the United States. Identifying asymptomatic infections early and linking patients to care could prevent more than 320,000 deaths associated with HCV-related complications between 2010 and 2060.
“Early identification of the estimated 3.5 million U.S. persons with chronic HCV infection and the estimated 800,000 with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis is critical for the prevention of forecasted premature deaths and other complications by 2030,” Klevens and colleagues concluded. “The findings described in this study support the CDC and USPSTF recommendations for HCV testing and appropriate referral of persons born from 1945-1965, as well as efforts to reduce barriers to care among those who are HCV infected.” – by Stephanie Viguers