University of Cincinnati researchers recommend the entire adult population undergo a one-time universal screening to combat a growing incidence of hepatitis C cases, Medical Xpress reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Researchers believe hepatitis C is being spread by the opioid crisis.
2. They recommended all adults undergo a one-time universal screening to determine the impact of the disease.
3. Researchers used a computerized Markov state transition model to estimate the impact such a screening would have. They published the results in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
4. Such a screening, followed by a guideline-based treatment, would create an incremental cost effectiveness ratio of $11,378 per quality-adjusted life year. University of Cincinnati's Mark Eckman, MD, said, "Most health economists consider anything less than $50,000 per-quality adjusted life year to be highly cost-effective."