January 23rd, 2013

Researchers from the Centre for Disease Analysis in Colorado have produced a report on the financial burden of hepatitis C (HCV) in the United States.

Amongst their findings, they found that levels of chronic HCV peaked in 1994, when approximately 3.3 million Americans were infected with the virus.

In their conclusion, the authors stated that the prevalence of hepatitis C in the US is in decline thanks to the screening of medical blood supplies and fewer people who inject illegal drugs. However, the rate of advanced liver disease will continue to increase as people who are already infected develop more serious health problems like cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Despite the analysis excluding the costs of antiviral treatments for hepatitis C, the researchers estimate that the cost to the American healthcare system will peak at $9.1 billion in 2024.

You can access the full article on this research here.

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