Baby boomers, adults born between 1945 and 1965, are five times more likely to have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
But the simple blood test, designed to detect and prevent illness before the virus wreaks havoc, is infrequently performed on baby boomers whose routine medical appointments are often crammed with other preventive measures and tests — as well as time spent addressing active problems that require a doctor’s immediate attention.
Implemented in fall 2015 in primary care clinics throughout the U-M health system, the strategy contributed to a significant rise in screenings — an eightfold boost — in the first six months alone.
“A large part of the success was figuring out how to take the logistical work away, which involves more than looking at a patient’s date of birth,” says Monica Konerman, a hepatologist at the University of Michigan who treats patients facing the prospect of hepatitis damaging their liver.
It isn’t entire clear why hepatitis C rates are higher in baby boomers, although many are believed to have become infected during the 1970s and 80s when rates were highest (and before screenings of donated blood and organs became available in 1992).
The screening test for hepatitis C is the virus antibody. If the hepatitis C antibody is detected, a confirmation test for the virus’ RNA (genetic material) is recommended to confirm chronic infection.
Despite that low rate, the alert system nonetheless helped identify people who would benefit from curative hepatitis C treatment, says Konerman, who presented the findings at the Digestive Disease Week conference.
After all, a new era in hepatitis treatment began in 2013 with the approval of interferon-free oral combination therapy that was demonstrated in clinical trials studies led by the U-M to cure hepatitis C in 95% of patients.
If treated and the body responds, patients can get rid of the virus before liver damage and liver failure occur.
“The availability of direct-acting antiviral agents has been a game-changer,” says Konerman.