Screening for hepatitis C has been confirmed as more cost-effective than not conducting it.

A joint study by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital found that screening for hepatitis C is more cost-effective than not screening it. Therefore, it will likely provide the basis for introducing a national health screening program for hepatitis C. (Credit: Getty Images)
A joint study by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital found that screening for hepatitis C is more cost-effective than not screening it. Therefore, it will likely provide the basis for introducing a national health screening program for hepatitis C. (Credit: Getty Images)

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) said Friday it would introduce a national health screening program for hepatitis C based on such findings. In addition, it released the result of a study on the long-term effects of hepatitis C antiviral treatment and the cost-effectiveness of introducing its national screening.

The study is still ongoing as the joint efforts of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases under KDCA and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH), using data from the multicenter “Korean Hepatitis C Cohort Study (2015-present)” and “claims data at the National Health Insurance Service.”

For instance, the multicenter prospective cohort study confirmed that antiviral treatment significantly reduced the incidence of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the hepatitis C population. The risk of liver cancer and liver-related death was 59 percent and 74 percent lower than the untreated group.

In addition, researchers found that conducting one hepatitis C antibody test in the national screening program for people aged 40 to 65 would save about 3.75 million won ($2,840) compared to not conducting the screening.

“Hepatitis C is often asymptomatic, so it is important to manage it through early detection and aggressive treatment,” said the SNUBH research team led by Professors Chung Suk-hyang and Choi Kwang-hyun of the Gastroenterology Department.

KCDA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said, “To attain the goal of eliminating hepatitis C, we will actively promote its inclusion in the national health screening based on the implementation of the Second Basic Plan for Viral Hepatitis Control and related research findings."

 

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