Hepatitis C infection can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.Why are we recommending screening of adults in the baby boomer generation? It is also used to prevent exercise-induced bronchospasm. Please discuss any options with your healthcare provider.The information you share, including that which might otherwise be Protected Health Information, to this site is by design open to the public and is not a private, secure service. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. It states that baby boomers are five times more likely to have Hepatitis C due to contaminated blood and blood products before widepread screening of blood in 1992 and other precautions were adopted or from injecting drugs. Baby boomers' youthful experimentation with drugs appears to be one of the leading factors. Managing Director and Executive Editor, Harvard Health Publishing They consisted of months-long treatment protocols that involved painful drug injections and low success rates. Why is the prevalence of HCV so high among baby boomers? The reasons for this are not well understood. Researchers behind The Lancet study hope that these findings will help increase rates of screening.Hepatitis C, like HIV and AIDS, carries certain social stigmas because of the ways in which it can be transmitted by intravenous drug use. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Hepatitis C is a viral infection that is spread through contact with infected blood. Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? This could likely be traced to a combination of doctors not being adequately engaged, and patients in denial of their risky behaviors.To identify more cases, the CDC jettisoned its old approach and moved to a blanket recommendation to Moreover, the diagnosis of HCV in this group would identify those with long-duration chronic disease, who were at risk for the most advanced forms of liver disease. Some men with an enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH for short) eventually start to experience urinary incontinence, the involuntary discharge of urine. People born between 1945 and 1965 are considered “baby boomers,” a generation group that’s also There are cultural, historical, and social stigmas attached to both the age group and the disease, and there’s no one single reason why this generation is at a higher risk for hepatitis C. Let’s look at all the possible reasons, from blood transfusions to drug use, treatment options, and how to find support. However, most infected boomers are believed to have become infected in the 1970s and 1980s, when rates of hepatitis C transmission were the highest. After finishing this treatment, many people are considered cured. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Two years later when talking to this doctor and telling him about what happened,he ran the test again. To understand this, it’s worth reviewing how we got here.In 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established HCV testing guidelines based on the presence of risk factors. In addition, recent dramatic advances in antiviral therapy allow us to cure the vast majority of HCV infections using short courses of well-tolerated oral medications.Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has committed to a global effort to reduce new cases of HCV infection by 90%, and to reduce HCV-related mortality by 65% by 2030. Baby Boomers, people born between 1945 and 1965, should get tested for hepatitis C (HCV) because they are five times as likely to be infected with the virus as other adults. Why? Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Most people with acute hepatitis C eventually develop chronic hepatitis C.Hepatitis C usually does not cause symptoms, which is why most people with hepatitis C don’t know that they are infected. There should be no shame or stigma associated with your birth year. There is also mounting evidence that chronic hepatitis C is associated with increased risk for diseases outside the liver, including heart and kidney disease, as well as diabetes. The Content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.