The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast #329 Curing Hepatitis C: A Primary Care Primer
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Apr 18, 2022 AI Snips
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Universal Hepatitis C Screening
- Screen all adults at least once for Hepatitis C using a universal approach instead of relying on risk factors.
- High-risk groups like injection drug users and men who have sex with men need annual screening to catch ongoing infections early.
Positive Antibody ≠ Active Infection
- A positive hepatitis C antibody means exposure but not necessarily current infection.
- Without detectable virus, the infection may have cleared spontaneously, so no treatment is needed for those cases.
Simplified Hepatitis C Workup
- Use simplified workup including CBC, CMP, HIV testing, and hepatitis B serologies before Hepatitis C treatment.
- Use fibrosis assessment tools like FIB-4, APRI, or elastography to stage liver disease and guide management.