Reply to: “Pitfalls in measuring temporal trends for late diagnosis of viral hepatitis”

Abstract

Considerations for studying trends in late diagnosis of hepatitis C virus and its liver complications To the Editor: By the year 2030, the Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis aims to reduce mortality by 65% and new infections by 90%. Reaching these goals will require diagnosing 90% of people living with HCV and treating 80% of those diagnosed. However, since HCV infection remains asymptomatic until late stage complications manifest, diagnosis rates are concerningly low in many countries. Screening programs are intended to diagnose individuals in the asymptomatic phase and reduce late stage HCV diagnosis when decompensated cirrhosis (DC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has already occurred. Monitoring trends in late diagnosis of HCV and its liver complications is an important indicator to evaluate the success of screening efforts and progress towards the strategy's goals.