Why Hepatitis C Screening Is a Must for Baby Boomers
An estimated 1 in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you were born between 1945 and 1965, you could be at risk for the virus. Here’s why.
By Chris Iliades, MD
Medically Reviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD
If you're a part of the baby boomer generation — that is, if you were born between 1945 and 1965 — getting screened for hepatitis C should be on your healthcare to-do list.
This recommendation was made in June 2013 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and echoed the one released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a year earlier, in August 2012.
Hepatitis C, spread through blood, can cause liver damage over time, including scarring of the liver, liver failure, and liver cancer. Most people with the virus, however, don’t develop symptoms, and some discover that they have the infection only after they start experiencing liver problems. Here’s why baby boomers are especially at risk.
https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/hepatitis-c-screening-must-for-baby-boomers/
