USPSTF: Screen High-Risk Patients for Hep B
Patients at high risk of contracting the hepatitis B virus (HBV) should undergo regular screening for the disease, according to a recommendation issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force.
The recommendation comes as an update to a 2004 guideline against screening for HBV in the general population, finding that regular screening of asymptomatic patients did not improve long-term outcomes and overall, the prevalence of the infection was low.
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Rather than focus on the general population, the new recommendations specifically focus on high-risk populations, including:
- Those persons born in countries with prevalence of HBV higher than 2%
- US-born individuals not vaccinated against the infection
- Injection drug users
- Men who have sex with men
The task force also identified new evidence regarding the benefits of now-available antiviral treatment regimens “effective at improving intermediate outcomes (that is, virologic or histologic improvement or clearance of hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg]).”
For this reason, “the USPSTF concludes that screening is of moderate benefit for populations at high risk for HBV infection, given the accuracy of the screening test and the effectiveness of antiviral treatment.”
–Michael Potts
LeFevre ML. Screening for Hepatitis B virus infection in nonpregnant adolescents and adults: U.S. preventive services task force recommendation statement [published online ahead of print May 27, 2014]. Ann Intern Med. doi:10.7326/M14-1018