Monday, March 19, 2012
Researchers recently uncovered some startling news concerning hepatitis C: death rates from the virus gradually increased from 1999 to 2007 and now exceed HIV-related deaths in the United States.
The study, primarily funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
According to the study, an estimated 3.2 million people in this country are infected with chronic hepatitis C virus. At least half of those infected may not even know it.
Researchers analyzed death records for 22 million people from 1999 to 2007 to examine mortality rates for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV (to use for comparison). They found that over the course of eight years, annual deaths from hepatitis C increased (15,106 in 2007), while those from HIV decreased (12,734 in 2007).
Baby boomers seem to be affected the most. One in every 33 is infected with the virus.
The current screening guidelines from the CDC only recommend testing people known to be at high risk. Now the agency is debating whether to change those guidelines to encourage anyone born between 1945 and 1965 to get a one-time screening. The one-time screening, according to the CDC, has the potential to save 82,000 lives.
For more information about the study, visit www.annals.org.
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