Open AccessImproving hepatitis C screening and access to treatment
Author(s) -
Ryan Alberts,
AnnMarie Zimmermann,
Anthony Martinez
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of the american academy of physician assistants
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 0893-7400
DOI - 10.1097/01.jaa.0000873784.48761.b2
Subject(s) - medicine , demographics , hepatitis c , transmission (telecommunications) , specialty , incidence (geometry) , hepatitis c virus , linkage (software) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , primary care , chronic hepatitis , family medicine , virology , demography , virus , biology , biochemistry , physics , optics , sociology , electrical engineering , gene , engineering
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.