Hepatitis C screening
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Hepatitis C |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Hepatitis C screening On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Hepatitis C screening |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Yazan Daaboul; Serge Korjian
Overview
Not everyone should be screened for HCV. Persons living in regions highly prevalent with HCV and who have engaged in high risk should be screened. Screening by serological testing, confirmed by NAT for HCV RNA is required. Additionally, screening for other bloodborne infections, such as HBV and HIV, is required once diagnosis is made. The frequency of testing in these patients is unclear and should be individualized according to frequency of exposure to risk.
Screening
Initial Testing
Screening for HCV is performed by HCV serological testing.[1] In cases who test positive, a confirmation for chronic HCV status is required by nucleic acid amplification (NAT) or HCV RNA. HCV RNA may be directly tested in cases of immunocompromised states or in patients who already had spontaneous or treatment-related clearance.[1]
===Interpretation of Screening Results
Summary of Screening Recommendations
===American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) - Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) "Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C": 2014 published on April 2014 recommends HCV screening for all persons living in regions of high HCV prevalence with positive history for risk exposure and behavior.
Screening includes:
- Persons who received medical or dental interventions in health-care settings where infection control practices are substandard
- Persons who received blood transfusions prior to the time when serological testing of blood donors for HCV was initiated
- Persons who received blood transfusions in countries where serological testing of blood donations for HCV is not routinely performed
- Persons who inject drugs (PWID)
- Persons who have had tattoos, body piercings, or scarification procedures done where infection control practices are substandard
- Persons with HIV infection
- Persons who have used intranasal drugs
- Prisoners and previously incarcerated persons
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for the Screening, Care, and Treatment of Persons with Hepatitis C Infection" (PDF). World Health Organization. WHO. April 2014. Retrieved July 27 2014. Check date values in:
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