The CDC has revealed that deaths from Hepatitis C have climbed to over v15,000 a year and baby boomers currewntly account for about three quarters of those who die. The CDC expects that number to increase to 35,000 within 20 years. As a result, the CDC may be recommending a one time HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) screening of all baby boomers, along with their current recommendations for injection-drug users and those who have unexplained elevated liver enzymes.

COMMENT: Hepatitis C is a slowly progressive disease that may not cause any symptoms until the disease has progressed for years. The main killers of HCV is progression to liver cancer or fibrosis (much like cirrhosis from drinking too much alcohol). Since there are many effective anti-HCV drugs that recently have been approved and are in the pipeline, it is a matter of detecting who has the disease early. HCV testing may be a good idea for all baby boomers.