Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

HCV Diagnosis in Prison by Testing & Telemedicine

J Viral Hepat; ePub 2018 Oct 13; Morey, et al

Publish date:: November 9, 2018

A universal offer of blood borne virus (BBV) testing to inmates coupled with linkage into specialist care via telemedicine clinics (TC) can substantially increase rates of testing, diagnosis, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a studied prison population. A universal offer of BBV testing was initially implemented in March 2016. Researchers found:

From March 2016 to February 2017, 2,831 of 4,280 (66%) new receptions were offered BBV testing.
Of these, 1,495 (53% of offered) accepted BBV testing, of whom 95 (6.4%) were HCV antibody positive, with 47 (49.5%) HCV RNA positive, suggesting a prevalence of active infection in the tested population of 3.1%.
Between August 2015 and October 2017, 80 individuals were seen in the TC and 57 (71%) commenced antiviral therapy.
Of those with known outcome (n=29), 100% received sustained virological response.

Citation:

Morey S, Hamoodi A, Jones D, et al. Increased diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C in prison by universal offer of testing and use of telemedicine. [Published online ahead of print October 13, 2018]. J Viral Hepat. doi:10.1111/jvh.13017.

This Week's Must Reads

Consider potential cognitive complications prior to androgen deprivation therapy,

Diabetes raises risk of prostate cancer mortality in obese men,

Salivation inhibition fails to reduce radioiodine toxicity in prostate cancer,

Highest positive surgical margin predicts poor survival after prostatectomy,

Young minority men are underinformed about prostate cancer screening,

Must Reads in Hepatitis

Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir Efficacy & Safety Assessed, J Hepatol; ePub 2018 Nov 23; D’Ambrosio, et al

HCV Infection Among Children & Young Persons, J Hepatol; ePub 2018 Nov 26; Modin, et al

HCV Patients with Limited Access to Antiviral Therapy, Dig Liver Dis; ePub 2018 Nov 29; Lens, et al

Progression in the Elimination of HCV Infection, PLoS One; ePub 2018 Dec 4; Juanbeltz, et al

Increased HCV Screening in Veteran Populations, Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf; ePub 2018 Sep 25; Wray, et al