Hepatitis C Related Deaths are on the Rise in Rhode Island
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Rhode Island has seen an increase in hepatitis C virus-related hospitalizations and deaths over the last decade, according to a new report that was released on Thursday from the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Read the Full Report Here
Key findings from the report include:
• Hepatitis C-related deaths rose from 25 in 2005 to 102 in 2014, based on death certificate data, which may underreport hepatitis C-related deaths.
• The number of inpatient hospitalizations with a primary discharge diagnosis of hepatitis C increased six-fold between 2005 and 2014.
• Clinical and laboratory reports since 2009 suggest significant increases in hepatitis C diagnoses at hospital systems throughout Rhode Island, and screening data from both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings suggest that hepatitis C prevalence is much higher than previously estimated.
• The Rhode Island Department of Corrections has significantly increased its efforts in the areas of screening and treatment since 2013.
• Safe, highly effective hepatitis C medications are now available. These medications create an opportunity to reduce rates of hepatitis C and, cure the virus in a few weeks or months.
“The rise in hepatitis C-related death rates is alarming. However, the good news is, we have medications that can cure people living with hepatitis C. The first step in curing Rhode Islanders of hepatitis C is screening. Both Baby Boomers and anyone who is at high risk, such as people who have used injection drugs or people who received blood transfusions prior to 1992, should ask their physicians to screen them for hepatitis C. People should then seek evaluation and treatment if they have hepatitis C,” said Dr. Amy Nunn, Director of RIPHI.
The Virus
The Hepatitis C virus can cause a liver disease which ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness.
Health impacts of hepatitis C can include liver damage, liver failure, an liver cancer.
Hepatitis C is the most common blood borne illness in the United States.
Between 3 and 5 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C.
Preventing Hepatitis C
To help prevent Hepatitis C, the Rhode Island Department of Health suggests that all people born between 1945 and 1965 who have not been previously tested for hepaticis C should be tested at least once. Approximately 75% of the people who are living with hepatitis C in the United States were born between 1945 and 1965.
Others who should be tested include:
• People who have ever injected illegal drugs, including those who injected only once many years ago.
• People with a history of intranasal (through the nose, or snorting) drug use, including those who snorted only once many years ago. An example is snorting cocaine.
• All people with HIV infection.
• People who received clotting factor concentrates made before 1987.
• People who received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplants before 1992.
• People who have ever received long-term hemodialysis treatment.
• People with signs or symptoms of liver disease (e.g., abnormal liver enzyme blood tests).
• Children born to hepatitis C-infected mothers.
• People who received unsafe medical injections (steroids, for example).
“Building healthy communities and a healthy, thriving Rhode Island means working to eliminate infectious diseases such as hepatitis C. As the first comprehensive epidemiological profile of hepatitis C in Rhode Island, this report will be an invaluable tool in our work in the areas of hepatitis C prevention, testing, diagnosis, and treatment, which together will saves lives,” said Director of Health, Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH.
RIDOH is working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections and with insurers, including Medicaid, to continue expanding access to hepatitis C treatment for Rhode Islanders who would benefit.
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