by Curtis T. Miyamoto, MD
The CDC has specific guidelines for testing. All persons born in
regions of high and intermediate HBV endemicity, IV drug users, men with
male sexual partners, immunosuppressed patients, people with elevated
liver function tests, blood product donors, hemodialysis patients,
pregnant women, infants born to HBsAg positive mothers, people living
with infected patients, people who engage in needle sharing, individuals
with sexual contact with hepatitis B surface antigen positivity and
HIV-positive individuals should be tested and treated appropriately. And
all US-born citizens not vaccinated as an infant should be tested.
This is an extensive list of individuals who are risk and, therefore,
many more individuals should be tested than are currently being
tested. In spite of this, many patients at risk in the Philadelphia
region are not being screened for hepatitis B. This means that patients
who are chronically infected are not being diagnosed and patients who
have been exposed are not being vaccinated, putting them at greater
risk. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, hepatitis B
vaccination is covered. The obvious question is — why aren’t all
patients at risk being screened?
Read more... Labels: physician awareness, screening