New guidance to improve the management of
Hepatitis C in primary care has been launched by the Royal College
of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Produced for GPs, practice nurses and
clinicians working in primary care, the document aims to increase
awareness and prevention of Hepatitis C (HCV) transmission along
with improved testing, diagnosis and treatment for patients who are
already infected.
It is estimated that between 0.4-1 per cent of
the UK population are infected with HCV, equating to 250,000 -
600,000 sufferers. Early treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is
more effective at clearing the virus in 50 to 80 per cent of
people, depending on their genotype, but Britain currently has a
poor record in treating patients with CHC – out of the total
population infected fewer than 17 per cent have been diagnosed and
it is estimated that only about one in 20 of those who are
diagnosed are being treated each year.
The main risk for infection in the UK is
current or past injecting drug use. Other risks include receipt of
blood transfusion (prior to 1991) or being born or receiving
healthcare in a high risk country.
The guidance warns that unless testing and
early treatment is made more available, the virus is likely to cost
the NHS up to £8billion over the next 30 years as increasing
numbers of people will require treatment for cirrhosis, liver
failure and liver cancers.
Dr Chris Ford, Continuing Professional
Development Lead for the RCGP Substance Misuse Unit, a member of
the RCGP Sex, Drugs & HIV Task Group and lead author of the
Hepatitis C guidance, says: “Early symptoms of hepatitis C
infection are unusual so many people may not realise they have
caught the virus, but we know that early treatment is more
effective before liver damage has occurred.
“Every GP is likely to have between eight to
18 infected individuals on their patient list so it is essential
that we working in general practice strengthen our knowledge about
this disease, increase our testing and encourage those who test
positive to attend for early treatment. We hope that the guidance
will be useful in bringing about this change.
“We would also encourage primary care
practitioners to complete the Hepatitis C e-module that we have
recently developed so that they can put their knowledge of the
infection to the test.”
‘Guidance for the prevention, testing,
treatment and management of hepatitis C in primary care’ is
available to download from http://www.rcgp.org.uk/ and
http://www.smmgp.org.uk/. The
Hepatitis C e-module can be accessed via http://www.doctors.net.uk/
Ends
For more information please contact Lorna Fletcher in the RCGP
press office 020 7344 3136 / press@rcgp.org.uk
Notes to editors
- The guidance was produced by the the RCGP Substance Misuse
Unit, the RCGP Sex, Drugs & HIV Task Group and Substance Misuse
Management in General Practice (SMMGP) in collaboration with the
Hepatitis C Trust, the UK Hepatitis C Resource Centre and
Release.
- The Hepatitis C guidance is part of a series which also
includes the use of buprenorphine in opioid dependence treatment;
treatment of cocaine users; hepatitis vaccination schedules; and
methadone in opioid dependence treatment.
- The Royal College of General Practitioners is the largest
membership organisation in the United Kingdom solely for GPs. It
aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general
medical practice and to act as the “voice” of GPs on issues
concerned with education; training; research; and clinical
standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over 27,000 members who
are committed to improving patient care, developing their own
skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.