Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adults
Authors: Josiah D. Rich, Lynn E. Taylor, Scott A. Allen
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters5 October 2004Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in AdultsJosiah D. Rich, MD, MPH, Lynn E. Taylor, MD, and Scott A. Allen, MDJosiah D. Rich, MD, MPHFrom Brown University, Providence, RI 02906 and Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, RI 02920.Search for more papers by this author, Lynn E. Taylor, MDFrom Brown University, Providence, RI 02906 and Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, RI 02920.Search for more papers by this author, and Scott A. Allen, MDFrom Brown University, Providence, RI 02906 and Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, RI 02920.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-7-200410050-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We hope the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendation against screening asymptomatic high-risk individuals for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is interpreted as a call for more data rather than an excuse not to screen (1). The authors' rationale is that no decisive body of evidence supports improvement in long-term outcomes from HCV screening. Given that HCV infection can take decades to become symptomatic and that effective antiviral therapies have been available in their current form only for the past 2 years, it will take considerable time to obtain this evidence. In the meantime, sensible policies may ...References1. Chou R, Clark EC, Helfand M. Screening for hepatitis C virus infection: a review of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:465-79. [PMID: 15023713] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Weinhardt LS, Carey MP, Johnson BT, Bickham NL. Effects of HIV counseling and testing on sexual risk behavior: a meta-analytic review of published research, 1985-1997. Am J Public Health. 1999;89:1397-405. [PMID: 10474559] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Adoption of protective behaviors among persons with recent HIV infection and diagnosis—Alabama, New Jersey, and Tennessee, 1997-1998. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2000;49:512-5. [PMID: 10882290] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Kwiatkowski CF, Fortuin Corsi K, Booth RE. The association between knowledge of hepatitis C virus status and risk behaviors in injection drug users. Addiction. 2002;97:1289-94. [PMID: 12359033] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Hammett TM, Harmon MP, Rhodes W. The burden of infectious disease among inmates of and releasees from US correctional facilities, 1997. Am J Public Health. 2002;92:1789-94. [PMID: 12406810] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Josiah D. Rich, MD, MPH; Lynn E. Taylor, MD; Scott A. Allen, MDAffiliations: From Brown University, Providence, RI 02906 and Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, RI 02920. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoScreening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Review of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Roger Chou , Elizabeth C. Clark , and Mark Helfand Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adults Ned Calonge and Janet D. Allan Metrics 5 October 2004Volume 141, Issue 7Page: 575-576KeywordsBehaviorExerciseHepatitis AHepatitis C virusHIVHIV infectionsInfectious hepatitisInjecting drug usersMedical risk factorsPopulation statistics ePublished: 5 October 2004 Issue Published: 5 October 2004 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...