Pelham Baby Boomers: Have You Been Tested for Hep C?

While anyone can get “Hep C,” baby boomers -- those born between 1945 and 1965 -- are five times more likely to have the virus.

The federal Centers for Disease Control recommends that all “baby boomers” receive a one-time test for Hepatitis C (HCV). The CDC hopes that by testing all baby boomers, it can identify an additional 800,000 people with HCV, and save more than 120,000 lives.

“The reason baby boomers have high rates of Hep C is not completely understood,” said Putnam County Interim Health Commissioner, Michael Nesheiwat, M.D., “but the fact is that 75 percent of infected adults were born in these years. Most are believed to have been infected in the 1970s and 1980s when infection rates were highest. The danger with this infection is that you can live with it for decades without feeling sick, but long-term it can cause liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer.”

Hepatitis C is a disease transmitted through blood infected with the Hepatitis C virus. It is linked to a variety of liver diseases, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Many do not know they are infected with the virus because it can cause damage for years without producing obvious symptoms. In 2007, more than 15,000 people died from HCV. Additionally, liver cancer is the fastest growing cause of cancer deaths.

The CDC believes that an HCV test is especially valuable because of the recent development of HCV drugs. These drugs, called protease inhibitors, make HCV manageable and sometimes even curable. Several pharmaceutical companies have demonstrated interest in further improving the quality of these drugs.

In the past, age has not been included in the guidelines for HCV testing. Recognized risk factors include exposure to HCV, injection drug use, receiving blood or organ donation before screening standardization in 1992, infection with HIV, and appearance of HCV symptoms.

However, the CDC reports that 75 percent of total American adult HCV infections are contained within the baby boomer generation.

This generation has higher rates of infection than younger generations for two key reasons. First, the cause of HCV was not identified until 1989, and second, the blood supply was not regularly screened until 1992. Baby boomers may have been infected in their teens and 20’s and still be unaware of their status today.

Testing for HCV would be comparable to many other common screenings in the US, such as HPV and cholesterol screenings.