{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T21:18:10Z","timestamp":1768252690579,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,27]],"date-time":"2022-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1656288000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":177,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Epidemiol. Infect."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n\t  <jats:p>Since the advent of direct-acting antiviral therapy, the elimination of hepatitis c virus (HCV) as a public health concern is now possible. However, identification of those who remain undiagnosed, and re-engagement of those who are diagnosed but remain untreated, will be essential to achieve this. We examined the extent of HCV infection among individuals undergoing liver function tests (LFT) in primary care. Residual biochemistry samples for 6007 patients, who had venous blood collected in primary care for LFT between July 2016 and January 2017, were tested for HCV antibody. Through data linkage to national and sentinel HCV surveillance databases, we also examined the extent of diagnosed infection, attendance at specialist service and HCV treatment for those found to be HCV positive. Overall HCV antibody prevalence was 4.0% and highest for males (5.0%), those aged 37\u201350 years (6.2%), and with an ALT result of 70 or greater (7.1%). Of those testing positive, 68.9% had been diagnosed with HCV in the past, 84.9% before the study period. Most (92.5%) of those diagnosed with chronic infection had attended specialist liver services and while 67.7% had ever been treated only 38% had successfully cleared infection. More than half of HCV-positive people required assessment, and potentially treatment, for their HCV infection but were not engaged with services during the study period. LFT in primary care are a key opportunity to diagnose, re-diagnose and re-engage patients with HCV infection and highlight the importance of GPs in efforts to eliminate HCV as a public health concern.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0950268822000978","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,27]],"date-time":"2022-06-27T07:45:10Z","timestamp":1656315910000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Liver function tests in primary care provide a key opportunity to diagnose and engage patients with hepatitis C"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"150","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6536-5949","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"A.","family":"McLeod","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S. J.","family":"Hutchinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Weir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S.","family":"Barclay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"J.","family":"Schofield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C. Gillespie","family":"Frew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"D. J.","family":"Goldberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Heydtmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"E.","family":"Wilson-Davies","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7448\/IAS.20.1.22146"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/MEG.0b013e32835201a4"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/flgastro-2017-100909"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1258\/RSMSMJ.54.3.3"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2015.01.011"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3310\/hta13250"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref18","volume-title":"The Report on the Health of the Population of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde From the Director of Public Health"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10654-014-9958-4"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/civ002"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref14","first-page":"305","article-title":"Establishment of a database of diagnosed HCV-infected persons in Scotland","volume":"6","author":"Shaw","year":"2003","journal-title":"Communicable Disease and Public Health"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref3","volume-title":"Eliminating Hepatitis C","year":"2019"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref33","unstructured":"33. WHO Guidelines on Hepatitis B and C Testing. Geneva. November 2016 Available at https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/bitstream\/handle\/10665\/251330\/WHO-HIV-2016.23-eng.pdf."},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref23","first-page":"9","article-title":"Should patients with abnormal liver function tests in primary care be tested for chronic viral hepatitis: cost minimisation analysis based on a comprehensively tested cohort","volume":"12","author":"Arnold","year":"2011","journal-title":"BMC Primary Care"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref12","volume-title":"NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Annual Report and Consolidated Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2017"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2702.2011.04021.x"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref2","unstructured":"2. WHO Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis 2016\u20132021. Geneva. June 2016. Available at http:\/\/www.who.int\/hepatitis\/strategy2016-2021\/ghss-hep\/en\/."},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0252976"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3399\/bjgp12X630115"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.01815-19"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinthera.2018.05.010"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.13071"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.12724"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref30","first-page":"515","article-title":"Towards the elimination of hepatitis C: implementation of reflex testing in Andalusia","volume":"112","author":"Casas","year":"2020","journal-title":"Spanish Journal of Gastroenterology (REED)"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.322.7281.276"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref7","volume-title":"Surveillance of Hepatitis C Testing, Diagnosis and Treatment in Scotland, 2019 Update"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/jech-2014-204451"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdr097"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref19","volume-title":"The Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI): Prevalence of Blood-Borne Viruses and Injecting Risk Behaviours among People who Inject Drugs (PWID) Attending Injecting Equipment Provision (IEP) Services in Scotland, 2008\u201309 to 2017\u201318"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/add.12948"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofab374"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1053\/jhep.2003.50346"},{"key":"S0950268822000978_ref21","volume-title":"Management of Hepatitis C. 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Published by Cambridge University Press","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.","name":"license","label":"License","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This content has been made available to all.","name":"free","label":"Free to read"}],"article-number":"e133"}}