Birth outcomes linked to age among pregnant HCV patients
“Analysis reveals rising hospitalization rates among pregnant women with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and age as a critical factor influencing maternal and fetal health outcomes.”
Hepatitis Awareness Month 2024
“Millions of Americans are living with hepatitis without knowing it. Spread the word about hepatitis testing, prevention and treatment this month.”
America’s prison system is turning into a de facto nursing home
“In late 2018, Richard Washington sent a memo to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit with the subject line “Notice I am being killed.” The 64-year-old man, who decades earlier was convicted on armed robbery charges, was serving a 63-year prison sentence in Arizona. In his letter, he alleged that the Department of Corrections was refusing to give him medication for his various health issues, which included diabetes, hypertension, and hepatitis C. Because of the lack of treatment, Washington wrote, “My greatest fear is that I’m going to die more sooner than later.”
About six weeks later, he was dead.”
Artificial Intelligence in GI and Hepatology
“Since our prior Perspectives piece on artificial intelligence (AI) in GI and Hepatology in 2022, the field has seen almost exponential growth. Expectations are high that AI will revolutionize our field and significantly improve patient care. But as the global discussion on AI has shown, there are real challenges with adoption, including issues with accuracy, reliability, and privacy.”
Acute Hepatitis C, HCV-Related Cirrhosis on the Rise in Reproductive Age Women
“Leveraging data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database, study results showed that although global age-standardized incidence rates remained stable between 1990–2019, there was a 46.45% increase in the global incidence of acute infection and a 72.74% increase in the global incidence of HCV-related cirrhosis among women of reproductive age.”
Hepatitis C rates on the rise
“Health officials are encouraging people to get tested for Hepatitis C, as more people in Kentucky are infected with the virus than any other state in the nation. “Kentucky is no stranger to the Hepatitis C virus,” said Holly Husband in a press release. Husband, marketing manager for KentuckyOne Health, added that more than 38,000 Kentuckians are currently infected with Hepatitis C, according to estimates from the Kentucky Department for Public Health.”
Needle exchange struggles to finalize Bangor locations after city objection
“Months after a Bangor nonprofit received certification to provide sterile syringes to people who inject drugs, the organization is struggling to determine where it can operate with the city’s approval.”
Hepatitis Awareness Month promotes screening, vaccination
“Throughout May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will work with public health partners to raise awareness of viral hepatitis and promote testing and vaccination efforts to limit the spread of the prevalent liver disease. Hepatitis Awareness Month, held each May, includes events and activities to help the community be aware of viral hepatitis — liver inflammation caused by a viral infection — how it spreads, and the serious consequences that can arise if it isn’t treated. Another goal is to decrease the social stigma surrounding it that can limit an individual’s willingness to get tested and treated. May 19 is also Hepatitis Testing Day, a national effort observed since 2012 to promote screening for hepatitis B and C, two types of viral hepatitis that affect an estimated 862,000 and 2.4 million people in the U.S., respectively.”
Metformin, Statins May Reduce Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk After HCV Treatment Failure
“Study results were published in Clinical and Molecular Hepatology and showed patients with diabetes using metformin and patients with hyperlipidemia using statins who failed HCV interferon-based therapy had a lower risk of developing HCC.”
Missouri Healthnet extends contract with hepatitis C drugmaker
“MO Healthnet has extended a contract with Abbvie for another three years to make its prescription drug with a 98-percent cure rate available at no cost to Medicaid recipients. Project Hep-Cure will begin in July and last through June of 2027. More than 27,000 Medicaid members have hepatitis C, but less than a quarter of them receive treatment. According to the nonprofit HepVu, Greene County has the highest mortality rate of any county in the state.”
