The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking all baby boomers to get tested for hepatitis C.
Baby boomers are people who were born between 1945-65, and for some unknown reason have a higher rate of infection than other populations ”“ much higher, in fact. According to the CDC, more than 75 percent of adults with hepatitis C are baby boomers. Dr. William Van Deinse of Southern Maine Medical Center PrimeCare in Biddeford said a one-time testing of this group would find an estimated 800,000 undiagnosed cases of the disease.
Being diagnosed could be life-saving for some.
While hepatitis C can go unnoticed and undiagnosed for years, it can cause some serious health problems, including cirrhosis ”“ or scarring of the liver ”“ liver failure and liver cancer, which can lead to death, according to Van Deinse.
These problems are mostly preventable if hepatitis C is treated, which means there is no reason for people not to get tested.
Currently, the drug regimen to treat hepatitis C lasts from 24-48 weeks, and while it can cause side effects like anemia, depression and rash, treatment can cure those infected. Nearly 80 percent of those who tolerate the treatment are cured, according to Van Deinse colleague, Lisa Arsenault, a nurse practitioner at SMMC PrimeCare.
Practitioners also said a new treatment is on the horizon, and will only take about 12 weeks to complete. It has fewer side effects, and should be available for use within a year, according to SMMC PrimeCare Dr. Igor Prokopiw.
Diagnosing hepatitis C is done through a simple blood test, and Arsenault said that most health insurance companies should cover the test.
NorDx, a laboratory that does such testing in Maine, charges just under $50 for one of the common hepatitis C virus tests, and the billing department said the cost to draw blood at one of their sites is about $5.
So even for those without health insurance coverage, the benefit of knowing whether they are infected certainly outweighs the cost.
The hepatitis C virus is a blood-to-blood disease, according to Van Deinse. Before widespread screening of the blood supply in 1992, it was often spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Those who received blood products prior to 1987 are also at higher risk for contracting hepatitis C, as well as those who share needles, inject drugs, get body piercings or tattoos, are dialysis patients or have been incarcerated.
We urge baby boomers and those who have risk factors for the disease to get tested now. Treatment will likely lead to a cure for most people, and the consequences of doing nothing could lead to serious illness or even death.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/KnowMoreHepatitis.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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