Researchers make recommendations for screening HIV patients for HCV

Many patients infected with HIV may not know that they may also have another sexually transmitted disease (STD). For example, researchers at The Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island now suggest that people with HIV should be regularly screened for hepatitis C (HCV), as the condition is surfacing more and more often among individuals with the immune deficiency disorder. 

The scientists say that early detection of HCV is important for HIV patients, because the treatments for the disease are far more effective in the early stages.

"Physicians should establish strategies and approaches for systematically identifying hepatitis C early in the course of infection among HIV-infected individuals who are particularly vulnerable to an accelerated HCV disease course," said researcher Lynn E. Taylor, M.D.

The researchers devised a plan for screening HIV patients that includes a simple questionnaire and a low-cost blood test, administered four times a year. The scientists say that they believe this simple measure could drastically improve the outcome of individuals who are diagnosed with both HIV and HCV.