The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
Improving hepatitis C screening and access to treatment
JAAPA. 2022 Oct 1;35(10):17-21. doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000873784.48761.b2.
1Ryan Alberts practices at Universal Primary Care in Olean, N.Y. AnnMarie Zimmermann is medical director of the Southern Tier Community Health Center Network in Olean, N.Y. Anthony Martinez is an associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) and medical director of hepatology at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract
The rising prevalence of opioid use disorder and injection drug use has resulted in an increasing incidence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although older adults historically have represented the bulk of HCV infections in the United States, demographics have shifted and most new infections are presenting in younger patients. As a result, screening guidelines for HCV have evolved, moving toward a near-universal screening paradigm. Rates of screening and linkage to care remain low, attributed to the fact that underserved populations are disproportionately affected and often have limited access to specialty care. Collaborative models to treat HCV using primary care providers have been proposed to facilitate linkage to care and reduce transmission.