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Physicians not following CDC guides on HCV screening

SAN DIEGO — Despite new guidelines issued by the CDC in 2012 calling for hepatitis C screening for everyone born between 1945 and 1965 regardless of other risk factors, only a small fraction of that population is being screened, a speaker said here.

“Screening for HCV in this population is very important,” Ritu Gupta, DO, of Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, Mich., said during the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting.

Researchers retrospectively reviewed charts at two outpatient primary care clinics of 1,578 patients born between 1945 and 1965 to determine whether they had been screened for HCV and the method of screening, anti-HCV antibody or HCV RNA testing.

Of the patients — 569 men and 1,009 women; mean age 56 years — only 31 (2%) were screened for HCV, the study found. The mean age of the 21 men and 10 women who were screened was 57 years. One patient (3%) was screened via HCV RNA testing, while the remainder were screened via anti-HCV antibody testing.

Four screened patients (13%) tested positive for HCV.

“The earlier you catch this infection, the better chances you have in response to the medications and the less mortality you have from the infection itself,” Gupta said, noting that one CDC report showed about 41.7% of primary care physicians were unfamiliar with HCV screening guidelines.

Researchers encouraged educational interventions for patients and primary care physicians including specialists coming to hospitals, radio promotions and posters in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

Disclosure: Gupta reports no relevant financial disclosures.

For more information:

Gupta R. #852: Hepatitis C Screening: Are Primary Care Physicians Following the New CDC Guidelines? Presented at: the 2013 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting; Oct. 11-16, San Diego.