New research highlights how government estimates on hepatitis C prevalence in the United States leave out about 1 million people from several groups not regularly included in the tally, say researchers from Cornell University.
The government estimates are from a 2014 report of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a health assessment from a representative sample of the country’s population, according to an article posted on the university web site. Out of an estimated 3.6 million people who have the hepatitis C virus antibodies, the survey indicates that 2.7 million are currently infected with the virus.
Results of a study from Weill Cornell Medicine published this month in the journal Hepatology say that a closer analysis of data from various sources revealed that the government estimate excludes six populations, including some that are stigmatized and live on the margins of society. The study authors say that the number of US residents who have antibodies for hepatitis C is probably closer to or exceeding 4.6 million and that 3.5 million are infected
Read more.....Labels: HCV prevalence, Hepatology, NHANES