{"title":"Successful hepatitis B and C screening in the health check-up in the German primary care setting","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jhepr.2024.101122","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background & Aims</h3><p>A goal of the World Health Organization’s global hepatitis strategy is the elimination of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030. As part of its strategy, the Federal Joint Committee (Germany) decided to include hepatitis B and C screening in a preventive medical examination, which is performed at the primary care level in Germany. We investigated the results 1 year after implementation of screening between October 2021 and September 2022.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>HBsAg/HBV DNA and anti-HCV/HCV RNA screenings were identified by billing categories in 286,192 individuals of 11 ambulatory healthcare centers.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Compared to 30,106 HBsAg and 31,266 anti-HCV laboratory requisitions in the year 2018, the number of tests increased to 286,192 during the screening period. Compared to routine care, additional anti-HCV positive tests age dependently increased the tally by 98% (177 plus 170 positive cases in males) and 123% (96 plus 118 positive cases in females) in those aged 35-44 years up to 518% (17 plus 88 positive cases in males) and 514% (29 plus 149 positive cases in females) in those aged 75-84 years. Similar results were observed for HBsAg. Prevalences of HBsAg, anti-HCV and HCV RNA were 0.54%, 0.79% and 0.13%, respectively.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>A structured hepatitis screening program at the primary care level has been successfully established and leads to age- and-sex-dependent large additional effects compared to routine care.</p></div><div><h3>Impact and implications</h3><p>Strategies to eliminate chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection are country specific and vary between clinical scenarios. Our analysis proves the efficacy of a screening program by primary care physicians compared to routine care in a low-prevalence country. This program should be accompanied by additional efforts in risk populations like people who inject drugs who are under-represented in the current screening approach.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":14764,"journal":{"name":"JHEP Reports","volume":"6 9","pages":"Article 101122"},"PeriodicalIF":9.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589555924001265/pdfft?md5=288f05ab877132b99fd9cc829bbaed81&pid=1-s2.0-S2589555924001265-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"JHEP Reports","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589555924001265","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background & Aims
A goal of the World Health Organization’s global hepatitis strategy is the elimination of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030. As part of its strategy, the Federal Joint Committee (Germany) decided to include hepatitis B and C screening in a preventive medical examination, which is performed at the primary care level in Germany. We investigated the results 1 year after implementation of screening between October 2021 and September 2022.
Methods
HBsAg/HBV DNA and anti-HCV/HCV RNA screenings were identified by billing categories in 286,192 individuals of 11 ambulatory healthcare centers.
Results
Compared to 30,106 HBsAg and 31,266 anti-HCV laboratory requisitions in the year 2018, the number of tests increased to 286,192 during the screening period. Compared to routine care, additional anti-HCV positive tests age dependently increased the tally by 98% (177 plus 170 positive cases in males) and 123% (96 plus 118 positive cases in females) in those aged 35-44 years up to 518% (17 plus 88 positive cases in males) and 514% (29 plus 149 positive cases in females) in those aged 75-84 years. Similar results were observed for HBsAg. Prevalences of HBsAg, anti-HCV and HCV RNA were 0.54%, 0.79% and 0.13%, respectively.
Conclusions
A structured hepatitis screening program at the primary care level has been successfully established and leads to age- and-sex-dependent large additional effects compared to routine care.
Impact and implications
Strategies to eliminate chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection are country specific and vary between clinical scenarios. Our analysis proves the efficacy of a screening program by primary care physicians compared to routine care in a low-prevalence country. This program should be accompanied by additional efforts in risk populations like people who inject drugs who are under-represented in the current screening approach.
期刊介绍：
JHEP Reports is an open access journal that is affiliated with the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). It serves as a companion journal to the highly respected Journal of Hepatology.
The primary objective of JHEP Reports is to publish original papers and reviews that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of liver diseases. The journal covers a wide range of topics, including basic, translational, and clinical research. It also focuses on global issues in hepatology, with particular emphasis on areas such as clinical trials, novel diagnostics, precision medicine and therapeutics, cancer research, cellular and molecular studies, artificial intelligence, microbiome research, epidemiology, and cutting-edge technologies.
In summary, JHEP Reports is dedicated to promoting scientific discoveries and innovations in liver diseases through the publication of high-quality research papers and reviews covering various aspects of hepatology.
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