Have you ever felt under the weather but the doctor has been unable to diagnose what is
wrong with you? Have you ever shared your partner's toothbrush or borrowed your friend's
razor? It is possible that you could be suffering from a disease which often goes untested.
It is estimated that over half a million people in the UK are living with hepatitis B or C without
knowing it. The Hepatitis C Trust with the support of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is
calling on health services to introduce testing in pharmacies to ensure the early diagnosis of
the disease, which could save thousands of lives.
Last year a viral hepatitis testing pilot project in 19 pharmacies across the country has found
a hepatitis B or C positive patient in every 6 tests conducted. Across the pharmacies a total
of 234 tests were conducted, diagnosing 35 people with hepatitis C (15% of tests) and 4
people with hepatitis B (2% of tests). This is a far higher proportion of hepatitis C positive
diagnoses than found in GP surgeries, where 4% of tests find positive hepatitis C patients
and 2% of tests find hepatitis B patients.
Charles Gore, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust said: "It is a tragedy that increasing
numbers of people with hepatitis B and C are dying, often from particularly unpleasant liver
cancer which these viruses can cause. It is a tragedy because they have generally been
living with the virus for years and could have been given treatment at any point, if only they
had been diagnosed. So we desperately need new approaches to testing that will find the
undiagnosed patients and this pilot study shows pharmacy testing could be just what is
needed."
"If the pharmacy testing pilot is taken as a model and rolled out by PCTs and pharmacies
nationally, we can stop people dying needlessly."
The Isle of Wight continues to offer these tests after the end of the pilot scheme and has
extended it to include added HIV and syphilis tests from the same sample as the viral
hepatitis screen. When asked, Gary Warner from Regent Pharmacy on the Island said:
"The results speak for themselves - pharmacies see a different cohort of people to those
who see their GP and therefore we can access and diagnose people who otherwise would
not have been tested. As an example, the patient that was screened as HIV positive was not
someone who would have accessed the test in any other way."
"This scheme has woken a lot of people up to the problem of viral hepatitis and we are now
working with local drug and addiction services in a more integrated way than ever before."
The Hepatitis C Trust, supported by the Department of Health, is offering free training to
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and pharmacists where local services can provide funding for
the tests.
About hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that predominantly infects the cells of the liver. If left
untreated, the virus can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. There is no vaccine but
early treatment can successfully clear the virus in around half of patients and ongoing
infection can be managed.
The Health Protection Agency estimate that there are around 250,000 hepatitis C positive
people in the UK although some estimates put this number as high as 466,000. Only around
70,000 people in England and Wales have been diagnosed.
About hepatitis B
Hepatitis B can be transmitted through blood and some body fluid contact and is sexually
transmitted. A vaccine for hepatitis B is available; treatment is also available which can
manage but not clear the virus.
The Health Protection Agency estimate that there are 180,000 people living with hepatitis B
in the UK but The Hepatitis B Foundation estimates this figure is actually 320,000 due to
recent immigration trends.
About The Hepatitis C Trust
The Hepatitis C Trust is the national UK charity for hepatitis C. It provides information,
support and representation for all those affected by this disease. Started by patients, the
majority of its governing Board of Trustees are patients and the vast majority of its staff, paid
and voluntary, are patients.
Risk factors:
- Receiving a blood transfusion / blood products / organ transplantation prior to 1991
- Current IV drug use / past IV drug use (including steroids, even once and sharing
any injecting equipment)
- Current sniffing cocaine / past sniffing cocaine (sharing pipes, notes or straws with a
person who is known to have hepatitis B or C or may have been at risk)
- Unprotected sex - hepatitis B (not C)
- Tattoos / piercings/ Acupuncture (in unregistered premises or with possibly unsterile
equipment or with needles that were not new)
- Regularly shared razors or toothbrushes (with a person who is known to have
hepatitis B or C or may have been at risk)
- Contact sports, fights and a human bite (where they may have come in contact with
another person's blood)
Source:
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain