Following the implementation of a testing protocol in a Washington-based urban emergency department, researchers not only reported high hepatitis C infection rates among intravenous drug users and Baby Boomers, but also that 76 percent of those infected were unaware.
"Given skyrocketing rates of injection heroin use around the country, we expect the already high rates of hepatitis C infection to explode," Douglas White, MD, lead study author, said in a statement. "Intervention by emergency departments, in the form of screening and referral for treatment, could help slow the spread of this potentially deadly, communicable disease."
Of the 10 percent of ED patients tested for hepatitis C, 10.3 percent test positive, with 70 percent of those confirmed as chronically infected. Of the patients who tested positive, only 24 percent had prior knowledge.
"In addition to the myriad public health functions they already perform, urban EDs may play an important role as safety net providers for [hepatitis C virus] screening," Dr. White said. "We have a better than even chance of reaching many of the 3 million people who are infected since they tend to be heavy ED users already. It gives us a chance to connect these people to ongoing care at [hepatitis C virus] clinics or elsewhere in the healthcare system."