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Independence, MO —
Baby boomers, pay heed. The CDC has a strong message for you. Get tested for hepatitis C. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not procrastinate. This is not just a friendly little reminder. It is not a, “Hey, if you have time, you might consider…” It is the strongest admonishment. Get tested.
Hepatitis C, what do you know? T or F?
1. Singer Natalie Cole has hepatitis C.
2. Hepatitis C is the most common reason for liver transplants.
3. There is a vaccine for hepatitis C.
The CDC issued their recommendation last week amid concerns that an estimated 2 million boomers, 1 in 30, have the virus and about 80 percent do not know it. HCV is insidious, causing severe liver damage before any symptoms develop. Overall it is estimated that 3.2 million Americans have HCV, which can cause liver cancer and cirrhosis. According to the CDC, hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood-transmitted infection in the U.S. More than 15,000 Americans die annually from hepatitis C.
Previously, the CDC had recommended that those at risk for HCV get tested. This approach did not prove successful as there has been a doubling of cases between 1999 and 2007. The CDC now recommends that all boomers, those born between 1945 and 1965, get tested through a simple blood draw. Boomers are five times more likely than other adults to carry HCV. Although there are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver. HCV is contracted through exposure to infected blood. Intravenous drug users who share contaminated needles are at particularly high risk. Rocker David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, has hepatitis C from IV drug use. “What!” you say, “I was never an IV drug user!” Well, you do not have to have been an IV drug user to become infected.
Infected blood transfusions are a known transmission route. Widespread screening of blood for HCV was not implemented until 1992. Needles not properly handled in health care settings or tattoo parlors can transmit the virus. Naomi Judd contracted HCV through a needlestick while working as an ICU nurse. Airguns/injectors, popular devices used several years ago for mass inoculations, have been scrutinized as a potential source of HCV. Many Vietnam veterans groups have cited airguns as a source of HCV among those who were not IV drug users. Spread through sexual contact is not common, but there is a risk.
Baby boomers, pay heed. The CDC has a strong message for you. Get tested for hepatitis C. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not procrastinate. This is not just a friendly little reminder. It is not a, “Hey, if you have time, you might consider…” It is the strongest admonishment. Get tested.
Hepatitis C, what do you know? T or F?
1. Singer Natalie Cole has hepatitis C.
2. Hepatitis C is the most common reason for liver transplants.
3. There is a vaccine for hepatitis C.
The CDC issued their recommendation last week amid concerns that an estimated 2 million boomers, 1 in 30, have the virus and about 80 percent do not know it. HCV is insidious, causing severe liver damage before any symptoms develop. Overall it is estimated that 3.2 million Americans have HCV, which can cause liver cancer and cirrhosis. According to the CDC, hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood-transmitted infection in the U.S. More than 15,000 Americans die annually from hepatitis C.
Previously, the CDC had recommended that those at risk for HCV get tested. This approach did not prove successful as there has been a doubling of cases between 1999 and 2007. The CDC now recommends that all boomers, those born between 1945 and 1965, get tested through a simple blood draw. Boomers are five times more likely than other adults to carry HCV. Although there are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver. HCV is contracted through exposure to infected blood. Intravenous drug users who share contaminated needles are at particularly high risk. Rocker David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, has hepatitis C from IV drug use. “What!” you say, “I was never an IV drug user!” Well, you do not have to have been an IV drug user to become infected.
Infected blood transfusions are a known transmission route. Widespread screening of blood for HCV was not implemented until 1992. Needles not properly handled in health care settings or tattoo parlors can transmit the virus. Naomi Judd contracted HCV through a needlestick while working as an ICU nurse. Airguns/injectors, popular devices used several years ago for mass inoculations, have been scrutinized as a potential source of HCV. Many Vietnam veterans groups have cited airguns as a source of HCV among those who were not IV drug users. Spread through sexual contact is not common, but there is a risk.
Treatment is with antiviral drugs which can last up to 48 weeks and has many side effects. Two new drugs on the market should be more effective with fewer side effects. Treatment started early can prevent liver disease. It is estimated that up to 75 percent of those who receive treatment completely rid their body of the virus. Cost for treatment can be upwards of $100,000, but long-term management of liver cancer and cirrhosis, not including transplant, can cost much more.
Boomers who thought they would age gracefully may not have considered hepatitis C in their retirement plans. The CDC recommendations may result in more boomers living longer and better lives, through drugs. A maxim of the boomers.
Answers: 1.T; 2.T; 3.F.
