Baby Boomers and Hepatitis C Risks
Baby Boomers need to be especially concerned about Hepatitis C. Why? Largely because this demographic was coming of age before blood was tested to the careful degree that it is today, and Boomers were exposed to risks such as injection drug use at a higher rate than their predecessors. Rates of infection were highest in the 1970s and 80s, and people can live for decades without knowing they are infected because they don’t have symptoms, and the disease can, therefore, cause damage for years. More than 75% of current cases are found in adults in their 50s and 60s, and almost half don’t even realize they have the disease. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver disease and the leading cause of liver transplants.
According to the Mayo Clinic “If you were born between 1945 and 1965, you’re automatically at high risk of hepatitis C infection. Effective treatment is available, so get tested, via a blood test, called a Hepatitis C Antibody Test.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Baby boomers are five times more likely to have Hepatitis C.”