At my annual physical, Internist requested screening for Hep C. I don’t follow into any of the categories other than being born as a baby boomer (1945-1965). Is testing necessary since I’m not high risk? Just curious since none of my friends who are my age have gotten tested
My PCP recommended it for me too. Same age group. The CDC estimates that 800000 of us have Hep C. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/1945-1965.htm It’s curable now.
I don’t fall into any of the categories either, other than age. My doctor didn’t mention it and I am not bothering to get tested for it.
ETA: My husband said his doctor recommended it for him. Ear piercing in the Navy back in Vietnam era was probably not done in a sterile environment. He plans to get tested. If he’s positive, then I’ll get tested too.
Our insurance company kept sending reminders to us to get tested, so I finally did (negative). DH has passed so far, figures if we’ve been married 30+ years and I don’t have it then neither does he. Not sure why the insurance company was so pushy about it. There are some very expensive treatments out there, but maybe they are still cheaper than liver transplants.
If you have donated blood recently and not gotten a letter, then you are Hep C negative.
I was in the ER last year, and I was asked if I wanted the test done at no cost to me. I assumed there is a drug maker looking for customers. I somehow managed to get through the sixties without having any fun, apparently. ?
It is now strongly advised that adults be tested for Hep C. CDC, maybe? It was part of my full blood panel at my last physical.
The CDC recommends that all baby boomers be screened for hepatitis C once. This is because baby boomers have a higher prevalence of hepatitis C than other age groups. Since 80% of hep C infections are chronic and can lead to cirrhosis and/or liver cancer, and since there is now effective treatment for hep C, there doesn’t seem to be much downside in doing it. But in my practice, the testing hasn’t turned up a single case, and I suspect that some groups of boomers have higher risk than others. Still, I would get the test — the disease would be bad to miss.
H’s mom died of Hep C at 76 yr old and there was no treatment in 1998. She had lived with it for probably 30 years and had no symptoms until 3 years before she died. She got it from a blood transfusion when she was younger. This past year, H’s Doc told him to get it tested because of being a baby boomer. I had to ask my Doc to get tested, also a baby boomer. Both of us were negative. We got tested because there is a cure.
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/hepatitis-c-screening is the USPSTF recommendation.
More information is given at https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/cfaq.htm . Blood donations since 1992 in the US have been screened for hepatitis C.
The Hep C virus was not discovered until 1989, so baby boomers lived a good chunk of their adult lives before the virus was even known. And the first test for it wasn’t developed until 1992. Prior to that millions were potentially unknowingly exposed through blood transfusion, sex, or other transfer of biological fluids.
That’s the reason why baby boomers are particularly likely to be infected without knowing it despite not currently falling into any high risk groups. Get tested.
H and I have both donated blood since 1992, so I guess we are clear.
Hep C is spread through contact with blood. Sexually transmitted Hep C is actually pretty rare since there has to be blood involved.
Just get tested. It’s not an invasive test and without treatment, it can significantly affect you. Seems like a pretty easy cost/benefit test, assuming you’re not paying for the test OOP.
DH has given about 15 gallons of blood and they still take it, I’m not worried.
OP here. I went ahead and got it done as part of my yearly blood panel. H said he was tested by his GP and came back negative. Other than falling into that age group, I don’t have any of the other risks.
The greedy pharmaceutical industry must have really made off on this one.
If you had a life insurance application blood test in the last 20 years, you’ve been tested for HepC.