CDC: Get tested for hepatitis C, baby boomers
All baby boomers should get tested for hepatitis C, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in new guidelines released
today.
The CDC wants anyone born from 1945 to 1965 to get a
one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus. That's
because the disease can take decades to cause liver damage, and many people
don't know they're harboring the blood-borne virus.
Baby boomers account for about two-thirds of the 3.2
million Americans thought to be infected.
The recommendation should not come as a surprise for many
Americans. This May, the CDC released a draft of the recommendations
encouraging all baby boomers to get tested. The new finalized recommendations
appear in the August 17 issue of the CDC's journal, Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report.
CDC officials took the step after seeing a near doubling
of hepatitis C deaths since the late 1990s. That report found there were 15,000
deaths caused by hepatitis C in 2007, far more than previous rates and
surpassing AIDS deaths. Three-fourths of the hepatitis deaths occurred in
people ages 45 to 64, and the CDC said those numbers are likely to grow over
the next 15 years unless health officials intervene.
"Asking someone about a risk that happened 20 to 30
years ago is a lot to ask," Dr. John Ward, the CDC's hepatitis chief, said
at the time of the draft recommendations.
Testing all baby boomers is that new strategy.
Previously, testing was recommended only for people
considered at highest risk. It's most commonly spread today by sharing needles
to inject illegal drugs.
Hepatitis C is a virus that can be transmitted through
contact with contaminated blood - possibly through shared needles - that
attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. While the disease may not produced
signs or symptoms in early stages, some people may experience mild symptoms
like fatigue, fever, nausea or poor appetite, muscle and joint pains, or
abdominal tenderness, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Chronic hepatitis C infections can eventually lead to
cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver after 20 to 30 years or liver failure. Recent
research has also tied the disease to causing cancers, including gastric and
liver cancers.
Comments
Post a Comment