Hepatitis C: In Support of Age-Based Screening

Guidelines recently have begun to recommend hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing for all adults born between 1945 and 1965, without regard to specific risks for HCV infection (NEJM JW Gen Med Aug 15 2013 and Ann Intern Med 2013; 159:349). CDC investigators sought support for this policy with a review of HCV prevalence among more than 200,000 adults who presented for primary care between 2005 and 2010 at four large health systems across the country.

Of 17,464 patients who were tested for HCV, 1115 (6.4%) were positive. Independent variables that correlated with positive tests included certain demographic features (e.g., black race, Hispanic ethnicity, never married, male sex), standard medical risks (i.e., intravenous drug use and elevated serum a…