Open AccessEmergency department targeted screening for hepatitis C does not improve linkage to care
Author(s) -
Inbal Houri,
Noya Horowitz,
Helena Katchman,
Yael Weksler,
O. M. Miller,
Liat Deutsch,
Oren Shibolet
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v26.i32.4878
Subject(s) - emergency department , medicine , hepatitis c , linkage (software) , medical emergency , emergency medicine , virology , nursing , biology , genetics , gene
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. New treatments for HCV revolutionized management and prompted the world health organization to set the goal of viral elimination by 2030. These developments strengthen the need for HCV screening in order to identify asymptomatic carriers prior to development of chronic liver disease and its complications. Different screening strategies have been attempted, most targeting high-risk populations. Previous studies focusing on patients arriving at emergency departments showed a higher prevalence of HCV compared to the general population.