Prospective Cohort Study: To Provide Evidence & Guidance in Hepatitis C Virus Screening, Comparing the New Birth Cohort Recommendations From the CDC, Versus Classical Traditional Strategies With Established Risk Factors

Although infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can result in acute hepatitis; it more commonly progresses to chronic hepatitis. The acute process is most often asymptomatic. Acute HCV typically leads to chronic infection. Chronic HCV infection is usually slowly progressive. Approximately 5 to 20 percent of chronically infected individuals develop cirrhosis over a 20-30 year period of time. Chronic HCV is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in the United States. Screening for chronic HCV infection is crucial because chronic HCV infection is often asymptomatic, effective treatment is available, and untreated disease carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Expert opinion, recommendations, and guidelines for HCV screening do not all agree. All guidelines recommend screening patients at increased risk for HCV (ie: typical risk factors). In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended screening all persons born between 1945 and 1965. At least two studies suggest that screening persons born between 1945 and 1964 or 1946 to 1970, respectively, is cost-effective. The studies estimated that if patients found to be HCV positive were treated with pegylated interferon, ribavirin, and direct acting antiviral therapy (for patients with HCV genotype 1), it would cost $35,700 to 37,700 per quality adjusted life-year. Screening based upon a birth cohort in patients without risk factors may lead to more false positive results. Currently only 1 % of patients in the birth cohort of 1945-1965 who cared for by Intermountain Healthcare providers have been screened. Ambulatory care physicians are not effectively screening patients. It is unclear whether screening based on risk factors alone versus screening based upon risk factors and birth cohort most effectively manages the burden of chronic HCV infection for patients managed by Intermountain