
A group of liver specialists in the Toronto Western Hospital Francis Family Liver Clinic say that Canada should begin screening 'Baby Boomers' for the hepatitis C virus infection. This is needed as this age group is likely the largest group to have the illness.
Unlike many other chronic viral infections, early treatment makes hepatitis C curable. In an article entitled, A Canadian Screening Program for hepatitis C - is Now the Time? published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Sept. 30, 2013, by Drs. Hemant Shah, Jenny Heathcote and Jordan Feld, the authors present arguments and data in favour of developing and implementing a national screening program for hepatitis C in Canada.
"Baby boomers are much more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than other age groups. Most people who have the infection have no or very few symptoms even if they've been infected for decades. Without symptoms, many infected people have no idea they have the disease until it's too late," says Dr. Jordan Feld, Toronto Western Hospital liver specialist and one of the authors of the article. "Hepatitis C has the greatest impact of all infectious disease in Ontario, even more so than HIV, influenza virus or human papillomavirus," says Dr. Hemant Shah, Clinic and Education Director of the Francis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital. "It's a life-changing diagnosis, yet there is a huge gap in public and healthcare provider awareness about the disease, it's implications and the treatment options for patients." Hepatitis C causes more years of life lost than any other infectious disease in Ontario, and likely in Canada, and is the leading indication for liver transplantation. The virus slowly destroys the liver over many years of infection eventually leading to cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure or liver cancer.However, if hepatitis C is diagnosed early, it is curable. Once liver disease is very advanced, treatment is much less effective and may not be possible, so the goal is to find people with hepatitis C before the virus has caused liver damage. Screening for hepatitis C involves a simple blood test which is covered by all provincial health care plans.
The authors state that HCV meets all the criteria for a condition where wider screening, particularly among Baby Boomers, would be useful, namely:
- HCV is a major cause of morbidity and mortality
- Prevalence is increased in Baby Boomers
- Many individuals are unaware they are infected with HCV
- HCV is curable with early treatment
Source: Eurekalert
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