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Hepatitis C in Miami/Ft Lauderdale: Hepatitis C targets baby boomers
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The chronic liver disease now accounts for more U.S. deaths than HIV/AIDS. Miami-Dade and Broward have more infections than other Florida counties.
By Ana Veciana-Suarez tues march 13 2012 Miami Herald
"numbers are alarming in Dade & Broward Counties, in Miami & Ft Lauderdale"
he had 3 biopsies and at one point had a pre-cirrhosis condition...... I had no symptoms,"
"In Florida, hepatitis C was blamed for 3,002 deaths between 2005 and 2010. Miami-Dade accounted for 305 of those deaths, Broward 239 and Monroe 25......There are more chronic cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties than in other parts of the state - 28,074 and 25,156, respectively......both counties are making a concerted effort to alert the public about the importance of detecting and treating the disease early......Because the disease is more common among baby boomers, authors of the CDC study have recommended screening boomers......The call for screening is gaining traction now because advances in treatment have boosted the cure rate - if patients are treated in time. "It's not a death sentence anymore," said Alan Wells, assistant professor at Florida International University's Wertheim College of Medicine. "It's very treatable."......Just 25 years ago, the disease was thought to be incurable, but then researchers discovered that a combination of two medicines, ribavirinand interferon, cleared the virus from the body in 45 percent of the cases. Last year two oral drugs, boceprevir (Victrelis) and telaprevir (Incivek), were introduced. When added to the old medications, these drugs boost the cure rate to 66 percent and 79 percent respectively. The new cocktail also has shortened the treatment time for some people. But a downside remains: some patients can't bear the side effects, which are similar to severe flu-like symptoms. It's not unusual for those with the virus and no clear damage to the liver to choose to wait......Eugene Schiff, chief of hepatology at the University of Miami, predicts than within the next two years, interferon-free treatment will be available, with higher cure rates and fewer side effects."
Miami
Cases of chronic hepatitis C as of January 2012:
3.2 to 4 million in U.S.
216,314 in Florida
28,074 in Miami-Dade
25,156 in Broward
1,639 in Monroe
Hepatitis C deaths between 2005-2010
3,002 in Florida
305 in Miami-Dade
239 in Broward
35 in Monroe
But the numbers are alarming enough that both counties are making a concerted effort to alert the public about the importance of detecting and treating the disease early. In Miami-Dade, "every health fair we go to, every community event we attend, we urge people to get tested for both sexually transmitted disease and a hepatitis panel in their blood work," Conte said.
In Broward, the county health department is sponsoring a conference in late April at the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale that focuses on viral hepatitis prevention, among other topics.
Because the disease is more common among baby boomers, authors of the CDC study have recommended screening boomers. In February, Cuban-American singer Jon Secada joined the growing chorus of advocates to raise awareness of the disease. Secada's father died last November from hepatitis C because he failed to seek the necessary medical treatment for many years and kept the disease a secret. Secada and singers Gregg Allman and Natalie Cole, who both had liver transplants as a result of hepatitis, are part of the American Liver Foundation's Tune in to Hep C campaign.
The call for screening is gaining traction now because advances in treatment have boosted the cure rate - if patients are treated in time. "It's not a death sentence anymore," said Alan Wells, assistant professor at Florida International University's Wertheim College of Medicine. "It's very treatable."
Just 25 years ago, the disease was thought to be incurable, but then researchers discovered that a combination of two medicines, ribavirinand interferon, cleared the virus from the body in 45 percent of the cases. Last year two oral drugs, boceprevir (Victrelis) and telaprevir (Incivek), were introduced. When added to the old medications, these drugs boost the cure rate to 66 percent and 79 percent respectively. The new cocktail also has shortened the treatment time for some people.
But a downside remains: some patients can't bear the side effects, which are similar to severe flu-like symptoms. It's not unusual for those with the virus and no clear damage to the liver to choose to wait.
Neil, 58, was one of them. The Key Biscayne resident, who asked that his real name not be used because he contracted the virus as a young drug user, found out he had hep C in 1997, during a physical. Fearing the side effects of interferon, he decided to wait until three months ago, when he began participating in a trial of a non-interferon drug with UM's Schiff. Initial tests show he has gotten rid of the virus.
But the psychological damage has taken its toll. Before the recent treatment, he had had three liver biopsies and at one point had a pre-cirrhosis condition. "Knowing that I had this virus actively damaging my liver really affected me, even if I had no symptoms," Neil said. "It's something that hangs over you."
Schiff predicts than within the next two years, interferon-free treatment will be available, with higher cure rates and fewer side effects.
Hepatitis C risk factors
The hepatitis C virus is transmitted through infected human blood. People at high risk include those who have:
Shared needles or other drug-injection equipment.
Received a blood transfusion, blood product or organ before 1992.
Received a blood clotting product before 1987.
Received dialysis.
Gotten a tattoo or body piercing performed with non-sterile instruments
Been exposed to needle sticks, as healthcare workers.
Been diagnosed with HIV.
Been born to a mother infected with hepatitis C.
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