Hidden Disease: An estimated six in ten people infected with Hepatitis C in Ireland remain undiagnosed.

General Practitioners can play a greater role in diagnosing and treating people with Hepatitis C Virus.

A major conference on the treatment of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) which is taking place in Dublin, today Saturday, 24th February, has heard calls for the role of GPs to be enhanced to enable greater diagnosing of the virus in the community.

The conference, 'Hidden Disease: The Future of Hepatitis C treatment in the Community and Primary Care in Ireland' features national and international speakers discussing the challenges and opportunities in transferring the treatment of Hepatitis C to Primary Care in Ireland. Participants will learn about Hepatitis C in hospitals, prisons,drug clinics and homeless shelters both in Ireland and abroad and will develop their knowledge of available treatments and the everyday challenges facing their patients. Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver disease. While risk factors for HCV differ, in developed countries like Ireland, injecting drug use, (IDU) is a major risk factor.

Recently published national guidelines for the treatment of Hepatitis C estimated that there are between 20,000 and 42,000 people with the infection in Ireland but a large majority, of up to 60% of those infected with HCV infection remain undiagnosed."

Dr Des Crowley, GP and Assistant Director of the Substance Misuse Programme with the ICGP, said "Hep C remains one of the latent diseases affecting a great many people in Ireland but largely undiagnosed. As a cause of liver disease it is often too late to redress by the time chronic symptoms, such as cirrhosis, become obvious. Effective screening is necessary to reduce infection and spread of Hep C. This conference is a great
opportunity to discuss the new HCV screening guidelines and how greater detection of HCV can be implemented via GPs. GPs can play a pivotal role in implementing the recently published HCV screening guidelines. The movement of HCV treatment from
hospital services to community and primary care will reduce one of the recognised barriers to patients with HCV infection: accessing and completing treatment."

During the conference, which is being held in the Catherine McAuley Centre, in Dublin 7, findings from the HCV Community Treatment Pilot in Dublin, and the lessons to be learnt from the Dundee model of screening and treatment in Scotland will be presented. Commenting on the benefits to patients of the move to a GP led service, Dr Crowley said: "We know from our work that many people with HCV and those suspected of HCV are reluctant to go to a hospital setting for treatment, and that a GP-led service for those including the homeless, those attending drug clinics, or ex-prisoners is more accessible for them."

For the conference programme please click here

Copy of HCV Screening Guidelines here
 

For media queries please contact:
Aileen O'Meara
media@icgp.ie