AASLD 2016: Birth Cohort Screening and Linkage to Hepatitis C Care Still Weak in U.S.
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Tuesday, 22 November 2016 00:00
- Written by Keith Alcorn
Grave weaknesses in hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and linkage to care are still widespread in the United States and threaten to leave a large proportion of Baby Boomers with hepatitis C untreated, according to presentations at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting this month in Boston.
Hepatitis C Antigen Testing Could Eliminate Need for 2-Step HCV Testing
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Thursday, 23 June 2016 00:00
- Written by Keith Alcorn
Testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen could eventually replace the current 2-step procedure for diagnosing chronic hepatitis C infection in lower- and middle-income countries, speeding up access to treatment and improving retention in care, a systematic review designed to inform World Health Organization hepatitis C testing guidelines has found.
Medicare Will Cover Hepatitis C Screening for Baby Boomers and People at Risk
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Wednesday, 04 June 2014 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that Medicare will cover hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening for adults born between 1945 and 1965, as well as others considered at risk, when requested by a primary care physician or other providers within a primary care setting.
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month -- Hepatitis Testing Day on May 19
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Sunday, 08 May 2016 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
May has been designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month in the U.S., an opportunity to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and to encourage testing and treatment. May 19 is the fifth annual observance of Hepatitis Testing Day, reminding health care providers and the public that more than half of the estimated 4-5 millionpeople living with chronic hepatitis B or C in the U.S. do not know they are infected.
May 19 is National Hepatitis Testing Day
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Monday, 12 May 2014 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
May 19 is the third annual National Hepatitis Testing Day, an opportunity to raise awareness among healthcare providers and the public about screening for hepatitis B and C. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among the approximately 3 million people with hepatitis C in the U.S., an estimated 75% do not know they are infected.
Opt-Out HIV, HBV, and HCV Testing in Emergency Departments Identifies Many New Infections
- Details
- Category: HIV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Wednesday, 13 April 2016 00:00
- Written by Michael Carter
A week-long pilot study involving 9 U.K. emergency departments has shown that routine opt-out testing for HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) can identify a significant number of previously undiagnosed infections, according to study results published in the March edition of HIV Medicine.
May Is Hepatitis Awareness Month
- Details
- Category: HBV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 02 May 2014 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month in the U.S., an opportunity to promote better understanding of viral hepatitis and to encourage more people to get tested and receive care for hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis Testing Day is coming up on May 19.
Testing in Oakland Emergency Department Reveals High Rate of Hepatitis C Virus Infection
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Wednesday, 09 September 2015 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Hepatitis C screening at an urban emergency department revealed that 10% of patients overall had evidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection -- of whom more than two-thirds had active infection -- rising to 25% among homeless people and nearly 40% among people who inject drugs, according to a study published in the August 4 online edition of Annals of Emergency Medicine. However, only about a quarter of people with confirmed positive tests were linked to follow-up medical care.
AASLD 2013: Expanded Hepatitis C Screening Needed for Veterans, Baby Boomers, Pregnant Women
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Monday, 04 November 2013 00:00
- Written by Keith Alcorn
Two large studies of the "Baby Boom" generation in the U.S. suggest that at least 50,000 military veterans may have undiagnosed hepatitis C, and that around 80% of patients born between 1945 and 1965 receiving care through 4 large primary health care systems could be undiagnosed, according to presentations at the 64th AASLD Liver Meeting in Washington DC. Other research showed that screening pregnant women for hepatitis C on the basis of self-disclosed risk factors would have missed almost three-quarters infections in this population between 2003 and 2010.
Today is Hepatitis Testing Day
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Monday, 18 May 2015 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
Tuesday, May 19, is the fourth annual Hepatitis Testing Day, a key date in Hepatitis Awareness Month. The day is opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of screening for hepatitis B and C. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half or more of the estimated 4 million people living with chronic viral hepatitis in the U.S. do not know they are infected.
AASLD 2013: Veterans Study Supports CDC Recommendation to Screen Baby Boomers for Hep C
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Sunday, 03 November 2013 00:00
- Written by AASLD
A study of more than 5.5 million U.S. veterans presented at the 64thAASLD Liver Meeting this week in Washington, DC, found that 10% of those born between 1945 and 1965 tested positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) -- compared with just 1%-2% of older or younger individuals -- providing support for recent recommendations that everyone in this age group should be screened for HCV regardless of risk factors.
EASL 2015: Advanced Liver Damage Is Common Among People with Undiagnosed Hepatitis C
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Monday, 27 April 2015 00:00
- Written by Keith Alcorn
Around 1 in 5 people with hepatitis C in the U.S. who do not know of their infection may already have advanced liver damage and be in urgent need of treatment, according to a cross-sectional survey of participants in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) presented by Prowpanga Udompap at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last week in Vienna.
Hepatitis C Is Often Not Diagnosed Until Symptoms Occur
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Tuesday, 27 August 2013 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Nearly half of surveyed people with hepatitis C were not tested for the virus until they developed clinical signs and symptoms such as elevated liver enzymes or jaundice, according to a study described in the August 16, 2013, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. These findings support U.S. guidelines calling for all "Baby Boomers" born during 1945-1965 to be tested regardless of risk factors.
Studies Find Risk-based Testing Misses Many People with Hepatitis C
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Wednesday, 11 February 2015 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in primary care settings according to risk factors may fail to identify 80% of people positive for HCV antibodies, according to a report in the January 16 edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A related study found that a substantial number of Baby Boomers seen in an Alabama emergency department had undiagnosed chronic HCV infection.
U.S. Task Force Recommends Hepatitis C Tests for All Baby Boomers
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Thursday, 27 June 2013 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) this week recommended that all residents born between 1945 and 1965 should receive hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening as part of their routine health care, strengthening a recommendation issued last fall.
FDA Approves Roche's Simultaneous Blood Test for HIV, HBV, and HCV
- Details
- Category: HIV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Thursday, 29 January 2015 00:00
- Written by Roche
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Roche Diagnostics' new cobas TaqScreen MPX screening test, which can simultaneously detect genetic material of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in donated blood and plasma, the company recently announced.
FDA Approves First Standardized Hepatitis C Virus Genotype Test
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Friday, 21 June 2013 00:00
- Written by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved a new standardized laboratory test -- dubbed the Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II -- for determining genotypes and subtypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV).
AASLD 2014: Screening Baby Boomers for HCV More Effective than Risk-based Testing
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Tuesday, 09 December 2014 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Age cohort screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) identified 4 times as many people as prevailing screening protocols and can be "feasibly implemented," according to research presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Liver Meeting last month in Boston.
Sunday is Hepatitis Testing Day -- All Baby Boomers Should Get Hep C Test
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
May 19 is the second annual Viral Hepatitis Testing Day, an opportunity to raise awareness among healthcare providers and the public about screening for chronic hepatitis B and C. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 75% of people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are not aware they are infected.
July 28 Is World Hepatitis Day [VIDEO]
- Details
- Category: HCV Treatment
- Published on Monday, 28 July 2014 00:00
- Written by HIVandHepatitis.com
July 28 is World Hepatitis Day, an opportunity to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and its consequences. This year's theme -- "Think Again" -- emphasizes that while hepatitis B and C are major causes of death worldwide, viral hepatitis remains remarkably neglected. The World Health Organization (WHO) and others held a press briefing at the 20th International AIDS Conference last week in Melbourne to raise awareness.
CDC: Hepatitis C Testing Requires Both Antibody Screening and HCV RNA Follow-up
- Details
- Category: HCV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Tuesday, 07 May 2013 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Half of all people who receive an initial hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody screening test never return for follow-up viral load testing to determine if they are still infected, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study. Confirmatory testing is needed to link people with chronic hepatitis C to appropriate care and treatment. "You may not remember what you did in the 60s and 70s," said CDC director Thomas Frieden,"but your liver does."
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