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Hepatitis C deaths up, baby boomers most at risk
As I said before, this is the year we will begin hearing much, much more about Hep C. Check out this article:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Deaths from liver-destroying hepatitis C are on the rise, and new data shows baby boomers especially should take heed - they are most at risk.
Federal health officials are considering whether anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should get a one-time blood test to check if their livers harbor this ticking time bomb. The reason: Two-thirds of people with hepatitis C are in this age group, most unaware that a virus that takes a few decades to do its damage has festered since their younger days.
The issue has taken new urgency since two drugs hit the market last summer that promise to cure many more people than ever was possible. And research published Monday says testing millions of the middle-aged to find those who need the pricey treatment would be worth the cost, saving thousands of lives.
"One of every 33 baby boomers are living with hepatitis C infection," says Dr. John Ward, hepatitis chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Most people will be surprised, because it's a silent epidemic."
Don't think you need to worry? Yes, sharing a needle while injecting illegal drugs is the biggest risk factor for becoming infected with this blood-borne virus. But before 1992, when widespread testing of the blood supply began, hepatitis C commonly was spread through blood transfusions. Plus, a one-time experiment with drugs way back in high school or college could have been enough.
"Asking someone about a risk that happened 20 to 30 years ago is a lot to ask," says Ward. Hence the quest for a new strategy.
About 3.2 million Americans are estimated to have chronic hepatitis C, but at least half of them may not know it. The virus, which affects 170 million people worldwide, can gradually scar the liver and lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. It is a leading cause of liver transplants.
A CDC study published Monday analyzed a decade of death records and found an increase in death rates from hepatitis C. In fact, in 2007 there were 15,000 deaths related to hepatitis C, higher than previous estimates - and surpassing the nearly 13,000 deaths caused by the better-known AIDS virus.
Perhaps more surprising, three-fourths of the hepatitis deaths occurred in the middle-aged, people 45 to 64, researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Mortality will continue to grow for the next 10 to 15 years at least unless we do something different" to find and treat the silent sufferers, Ward says.
CDC's current guidelines recommend testing people known to be at high risk, and until last summer there wasn't much enthusiasm even for that step: the reasons are the year-long, two-drug treatment promised to cure only 40 percent of people; treatment was so grueling that many patients refused to try it and treatment could cost up to $30,000.
Two new drugs - Vertex Pharmaceuticals' telaprevir and Merck & Co.'s boceprevir - are starting to change that pessimism. Research suggests adding one of them to standard therapy can boost cure rates as high as 75 percent. While still full of side effects, they can allow some people to finish treatment in just six months. They add to the price, however, another $1,000 to $4,000 a week. Drugs that promise to work even better have begun testing.
Those advances are fueling CDC deliberations of whether to change testing guidelines to recommend that anyone born between 1945 and 1965 get a one-time screening. A second CDC-funded study published Monday analyzed models of that option, and concluded it had the potential to save 82,000 lives.
A third study published Monday from Stanford University looked more closely at the price tag, and concluded the new triple-therapy would be cost-effective for people with advanced disease. It's still cheaper than a transplant costing well over $100,000. But not everyone with hepatitis C will go on to suffer serious liver damage. For those with mild disease, that analysis concluded some gene testing to predict who might really need the costlier triple therapy rather than the older drugs would be a good next step.
It's not clear how quickly the CDC will settle the boomer-screening question. But doctors at New York's Montefiore Medical Center have started raising the issue with boomers. And Montefiore internist Dr. Gary Rogg says a number of patients have sought testing after seeing hepatitis-awareness ads from the drugs' manufacturers.
"Now it's considered a curable disease, that makes all the difference," says Rogg, who was surprised at some longtime patients' test results. Even a nurse he knows learned she had it, and the only risk she could recall was a blood transfusion during surgery when she was 10 years old.
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=197143
WASHINGTON (AP) - Deaths from liver-destroying hepatitis C are on the rise, and new data shows baby boomers especially should take heed - they are most at risk.
Federal health officials are considering whether anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should get a one-time blood test to check if their livers harbor this ticking time bomb. The reason: Two-thirds of people with hepatitis C are in this age group, most unaware that a virus that takes a few decades to do its damage has festered since their younger days.
The issue has taken new urgency since two drugs hit the market last summer that promise to cure many more people than ever was possible. And research published Monday says testing millions of the middle-aged to find those who need the pricey treatment would be worth the cost, saving thousands of lives.
"One of every 33 baby boomers are living with hepatitis C infection," says Dr. John Ward, hepatitis chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Most people will be surprised, because it's a silent epidemic."
Don't think you need to worry? Yes, sharing a needle while injecting illegal drugs is the biggest risk factor for becoming infected with this blood-borne virus. But before 1992, when widespread testing of the blood supply began, hepatitis C commonly was spread through blood transfusions. Plus, a one-time experiment with drugs way back in high school or college could have been enough.
"Asking someone about a risk that happened 20 to 30 years ago is a lot to ask," says Ward. Hence the quest for a new strategy.
About 3.2 million Americans are estimated to have chronic hepatitis C, but at least half of them may not know it. The virus, which affects 170 million people worldwide, can gradually scar the liver and lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. It is a leading cause of liver transplants.
A CDC study published Monday analyzed a decade of death records and found an increase in death rates from hepatitis C. In fact, in 2007 there were 15,000 deaths related to hepatitis C, higher than previous estimates - and surpassing the nearly 13,000 deaths caused by the better-known AIDS virus.
Perhaps more surprising, three-fourths of the hepatitis deaths occurred in the middle-aged, people 45 to 64, researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Mortality will continue to grow for the next 10 to 15 years at least unless we do something different" to find and treat the silent sufferers, Ward says.
CDC's current guidelines recommend testing people known to be at high risk, and until last summer there wasn't much enthusiasm even for that step: the reasons are the year-long, two-drug treatment promised to cure only 40 percent of people; treatment was so grueling that many patients refused to try it and treatment could cost up to $30,000.
Two new drugs - Vertex Pharmaceuticals' telaprevir and Merck & Co.'s boceprevir - are starting to change that pessimism. Research suggests adding one of them to standard therapy can boost cure rates as high as 75 percent. While still full of side effects, they can allow some people to finish treatment in just six months. They add to the price, however, another $1,000 to $4,000 a week. Drugs that promise to work even better have begun testing.
Those advances are fueling CDC deliberations of whether to change testing guidelines to recommend that anyone born between 1945 and 1965 get a one-time screening. A second CDC-funded study published Monday analyzed models of that option, and concluded it had the potential to save 82,000 lives.
A third study published Monday from Stanford University looked more closely at the price tag, and concluded the new triple-therapy would be cost-effective for people with advanced disease. It's still cheaper than a transplant costing well over $100,000. But not everyone with hepatitis C will go on to suffer serious liver damage. For those with mild disease, that analysis concluded some gene testing to predict who might really need the costlier triple therapy rather than the older drugs would be a good next step.
It's not clear how quickly the CDC will settle the boomer-screening question. But doctors at New York's Montefiore Medical Center have started raising the issue with boomers. And Montefiore internist Dr. Gary Rogg says a number of patients have sought testing after seeing hepatitis-awareness ads from the drugs' manufacturers.
"Now it's considered a curable disease, that makes all the difference," says Rogg, who was surprised at some longtime patients' test results. Even a nurse he knows learned she had it, and the only risk she could recall was a blood transfusion during surgery when she was 10 years old.
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=197143
I talked to a Nurse yesterday that works at one of the hospitals in my
area. She told me many come to the hospital who have hep c. Also, that
many have died and are dying of Hep C. What was surprising is that I was the first person she ever met who had been treated for hep c. She didn't
know there was cure.
area. She told me many come to the hospital who have hep c. Also, that
many have died and are dying of Hep C. What was surprising is that I was the first person she ever met who had been treated for hep c. She didn't
know there was cure.
Well, scratch the 1992 angle. I received a transfusion in Mar 12. Their first test with the donation revealed no problem; however, the second one showed it was reactive for HCV PCR. Problem is that between the first and second test, I was transfused. As luck would have it, I am out of the country and won't be home till Oct to be tested. Two big issues here, first don't transfuse till after second test and secondly this is only the beginning with all these kids getting tatt's.
Leave Steven alone please. He does alot of good but it's not his job. He was very vocal about this disease when he finished treating but for some reason he just stopped, dead in the tracks about it.
It's not my place to wonder why but I wouldn't bug him about it.
And no I dont see Joe F'ing Perry sitting there thinking wow gotta check my facebook pages to see what people are saying about me LOL. Nope.
It's not my place to wonder why but I wouldn't bug him about it.
And no I dont see Joe F'ing Perry sitting there thinking wow gotta check my facebook pages to see what people are saying about me LOL. Nope.
Maybe we should flood Aerosmith's Facebook page about Hep C. I don't know if these guys actually read it or not. They are probably too busy. But it might work
Have to agree with you about the stars. Steven Tyler was just on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night talking about how he helped raise $30K for AIDS Awareness and research. Although I applaud him for that, I really wish he would talk more about his HCV and the fight (treatment) he underwent for that.
Thank you so much for posting this, not that it's going to make any difference in the urgency with which this disease is treated as far as finding a real CURE. It's more like a guess. Saying there now is a cure is misleading. I'm a 3-time non-responder genotype 1b infected in '76, diagnosed in '92. Since there are no symptoms, people (like me) don't know they have it. Luckily I managed to keep from giving it to anyone else, including my three children.
I wish Steven Tyler, Steve Jobs, David Crosby, Greg Allman, etc. had chosen to share their diagnoses of Hepatitis C instead of keeping it hush-hush. Many people think the rock stars just drank too much or that it's just a junkie disease anyway. What we need is money to fund research for a cure and educate people with the CORRECT information. Oh, well.
I wish Steven Tyler, Steve Jobs, David Crosby, Greg Allman, etc. had chosen to share their diagnoses of Hepatitis C instead of keeping it hush-hush. Many people think the rock stars just drank too much or that it's just a junkie disease anyway. What we need is money to fund research for a cure and educate people with the CORRECT information. Oh, well.
When I brushed my teeth,sometimes they bleed.And if I rinse with a cup of water,doesn't that leave the cup contaminated for the next person using that cup?
Add the bathroom cup to the list of transmissions.I gargled last night and it hit me that this cup is also a transmission.
Sent my letter out this morning to NBC.
You do have to sign up for the site in order to comment on any article. Already was signed up so it was piece a of cake.
You do have to sign up for the site in order to comment on any article. Already was signed up so it was piece a of cake.
I saw the online form and was not sure that was the best way to send it.i am going to send mind directly to the Nightly News address located o. The co facts page and address it to BriN Williams.
On an off note, I just got an iPhone today and think I may end up regretting it. I love my iPad but the phone is just so tiny and I can't set up multiple emails o. It. Gotta do some research.
On an off note, I just got an iPhone today and think I may end up regretting it. I love my iPad but the phone is just so tiny and I can't set up multiple emails o. It. Gotta do some research.
Just checking in with everyone about our letters. I noticed that Nancy Snyderman has a Facebook page but she doesn't seem to answer many comments there so not sure it's the best place. Should we just write them on the Nightly News comments page that I posted previously?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41625923
Maybe make them attn: Brian Williams and Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Other thoughts on this, fellow letter-writers? Do we want to try to all send within a certain time frame, as lookingforward suggested? Just want to make sure we're all sending letters to the same address for maximum impact.
Hope all in tx are doing okay this weekend...and everyone else too of course!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41625923
Maybe make them attn: Brian Williams and Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Other thoughts on this, fellow letter-writers? Do we want to try to all send within a certain time frame, as lookingforward suggested? Just want to make sure we're all sending letters to the same address for maximum impact.
Hope all in tx are doing okay this weekend...and everyone else too of course!
Thank you for this information.I will have to continue with prevention as I have been doing for years.I have my wife tested every year.Now she has custody of her 5 year old grandson.I will protect him and anyone I come into contact with.
Follow the link it will explain proper HCV testing procedure and lenght of time needed to wait depending on which test are taken.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0101/p79.html
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0101/p79.html
Llapis and OH thanks for the clarification.
I will write something today. I will tell the girls to get tested just in case but I think by now they would have known. They both have great doctors - they get tested all the time but I will specifically if they have been tested for hcv - I can't imagine they have missed it over 10 years when we first found out about their other virus.
I feel better about it today (after reading both your post) it was just the tiny drop thing invisible to the eye and the duration that freaked me out. lol.
Will keep you posted - need to think of the letter now.......
I will write something today. I will tell the girls to get tested just in case but I think by now they would have known. They both have great doctors - they get tested all the time but I will specifically if they have been tested for hcv - I can't imagine they have missed it over 10 years when we first found out about their other virus.
I feel better about it today (after reading both your post) it was just the tiny drop thing invisible to the eye and the duration that freaked me out. lol.
Will keep you posted - need to think of the letter now.......
That is one of the questions I was going to ask my dr.Thanks for the answer.I have another question.How long does it take for the virus to show up on a blood test after a person gets infected?
Forgot to say, do write a letter if you will. We'll send them all on Monday morning so the station will suddenly get a handful of letters all about HCV. Glad to have you aboard.
I was married for 20 years to the same man and we had two children. I even remember one of my children using my toothbrush a time or two. I patched up their boo-boos, dealt with their bloody noses,also cut myself while preparing meals, etc. Both children and my ex-husband tested negative.
Try not to worry so much. We have been dancing around these questions about Hep C transmission. It is blood to blood. Doesn't spread by kissing or by normal monogamous sex. I don't think drinking after each other is supposed to be contagious. So the razor borrowing may be the only possible vector. Just encourage them to get tested to give you all peace of mind.
If you need a resource for a "free" anonymous test for antibodies (they ask for a donation of 10 and send everything to you in the mail...you ***** your finger, let the sample dry, and then call in to get your results)...write back to me and I'll send the info to you.
Good luck moving through all this. Lapis
Try not to worry so much. We have been dancing around these questions about Hep C transmission. It is blood to blood. Doesn't spread by kissing or by normal monogamous sex. I don't think drinking after each other is supposed to be contagious. So the razor borrowing may be the only possible vector. Just encourage them to get tested to give you all peace of mind.
If you need a resource for a "free" anonymous test for antibodies (they ask for a donation of 10 and send everything to you in the mail...you ***** your finger, let the sample dry, and then call in to get your results)...write back to me and I'll send the info to you.
Good luck moving through all this. Lapis
Have the girls ever been tested for hcv? The co-infection of hiv and hcv is quite common.
As far as writing to Brian goes, there's no need to say how you got hep c. That isn't relevant to your situation or to our reason for writing.
Good evening~
OH
As far as writing to Brian goes, there's no need to say how you got hep c. That isn't relevant to your situation or to our reason for writing.
Good evening~
OH
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