A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that hepatitis C virus-related deaths in the United States jumped from 11,051 in 2003 to 19,368 in 2013, according to a Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Newsastroenterology & Endoscopy News report.
Here are three insights:
1. Fifty-one percent of the HCV-related deaths occurred among adults between 55 and 64 years of age.
2. The deaths are occurring among baby boomers that have been living with untreated or under-treated HCV.
3. Notably, deaths associated with 59 other infectious diseases, including HIV, Staphylococcus aureus, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and pneumococcal disease, have decreased from 2003 to 2013.