100,000 Bike Helmets & Counting Thanks for
CDC: Test baby boomers for hepatitis C
All U.S. baby boomers should get a one- time test for the hepatitis C virus, ac- cording to final recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention (CDC). One in 30 baby boom- ers — the generation born from 1945 through 1965 — is infected with hepa- titis C, and most don’t know it. “A one-time blood test for hepatitis C should be on every baby boomer’s medi- cal checklist,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD. “The new recommenda- tions can protect the health of an entire generation of Americans and save thou- sands of lives.” CDC’s previous recommendations called for testing only individuals with certain known risk factors for hepatitis C infection. Risk-based screening will continue to be important, but is not suf- ficient alone. More than 2 million U.S. baby boomers have hepatitis C — ac- counting for more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the virus. Studies show many baby boomers don’t perceive themselves to be at risk of hep- atitis C and have never been screened for the virus, which infected many baby boomers decades ago. More than 15,000 Americans, most of them baby boomers, die each year from hepatitis C-related illness. Deaths have been increasing steadily for more than a decade and are projected to grow signifi- cantly in coming years. CDC estimates one-time hepatitis C testing of baby boomers could identify more than 800,000 additional people with hepatitis C. And with newly avail- able therapies that can cure up to 75 percent of infections, expanded test- ing — along with linkage to appropriate care and treatment — would prevent the costly consequences of liver cancer and other chronic liver diseases and save more than 120,000 lives. n
Crystal Conde is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1385, or (512) 370-1385; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
crystal.conde@
texmed.org.
1/3 Horiz. 4.6875 x 4.8125 December 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 51
helping TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads
reach a major milestone —
and for helping us keep Texas children safe.
Contact TMA’s outreach coordinator at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1470, or tmaoutreachcoordinator@
texmed.org.
Hard Hats for Little Heads is funded by the TMA Foundation thanks to top donors — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Prudential, and an anonymous foundation — and gifts from physicians and their families.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Texas Medicine - 1/3 H 4.6875 x 4.8125
TMA Award for Excellence in Academic Medicine
TMA is eager to recognize our physician leaders who are dedicated to caring for patients and preparing tomorrow’s physician workforce. We’ve created a new award program to do just that.
Get the credit you are due.
Apply today at
www.texmed.org/TMA_ Academic_Award
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68