Outcomes of HCV Screening in a High-Risk Population

Nearly one half of all veterans who were found to have chronic HCV infections in a targeted screening program were considered to be candidates for treatment.

Although the CDC and other health agencies recommend routine hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening for people at high risk for infection, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines state that insufficient evidence exists to support this practice. To examine the issue further, researchers prospectively studied the outcomes of a targeted HCV screening program at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Rhode Island.

From 1998 to 2004, 25,701 patients completed questionnaires regarding HCV risk factors (including receipt of a blood transfusion before 1992, intravenous drug use, and unexplained liver disease) during routine primary care visits. One third of the patients (8471) reported at least one risk factor; of these, 5646 agreed…

Reviewing Author

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Outcomes of HCV Screening in a High-Risk Population

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Reviewing Author