More People Need to be Tested for Hepatitis B

More people need to be tested for hepatitis B! This is the latest word from the CDC in the form of new recommendations to increase routine testing in the United States for chronic hepatitis B.

The idea behind this, and the reason this is such a good idea, is because there are probably a lot of folks who have hepatitis B, but don't realize it. Considering all the damage that chronic hepatitis B can cause (liver cancer and cirrhosis are the big complications), it's best to know what you have and start treating it. The CDC estimates that up to 1.4 million Americans have chronic hepatitis B infection and many of those don't know it.

The CDC has long recommended people be tested if they are at increased risk of exposure to hepatitis B. This included pregnant women, infants born to infected mothers, household contacts and sex partners of infected individuals, HIV-positive individuals, and people born in certain places with high rates of hepatitis B infection.

The new guidelines, in addition to the above, specifically recommend testing to all people born in Asia and Africa, people living in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Islands. Also, the new recommendations specifically advise testing for injection-drug users and men who have sex with men.

For more information and the complete list of testing recommendations for hepatitis B, read the CDC's report.