Author information
1
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR, USA. breilley@npaihb.org.
2
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR, USA.
3
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
4
Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
5
Indian Health Service, Portland, OR, USA.
6
Indian Health Service, Gallup, NM, USA.
7
Cherokee National Health Services, Tahlequah, OK, USA.
8
Indian Health Service, Rockville, MD, USA.
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) disproportionately affects American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). The Indian Health Service (IHS), via federal and tribal health facilities provides medical services to an estimated 2.2 million AI/AN people in the United States. HCV diagnoses, defined by International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, were analyzed from 2005 to 2015. Results showed 29,803 patients with an HCV diagnosis; 53.4% were among persons born 1945-1965 and overall HCV burden was higher among males than females. These data will help inform local, regional, and national efforts to address, plan for and carry out a national strategy to provide treatment for HCV infected patients and programs to prevent new HCV infections.