• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment Medical Research

Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations

July 11, 2025
in Medical Research
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations
4
SHARES
9
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations
A study led by Megan Curtis, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at WashU Medicine (right), and Caroline Cary, a third-year medical student, showed that recently pregnant women face disparities in access to treatment for hepatitis C infection. The research follows Curtis’ recent study that showed children are also undertreated for the virus. Credit: Matt Miller

As the opioid epidemic has worsened in the United States, prevalence of hepatitis C has also increased. Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus that damages the liver. It is mainly spread through sharing needles or other injection equipment and can also be passed from a mother to baby during pregnancy or childbirth. It can be safely and effectively treated by direct-acting antiviral therapies that are approved for both adults and children.

Two recent studies from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveal that two vulnerable populations—children and recently pregnant women—face disparities in access to treatment for hepatitis C infection. Without treatment, these groups are at risk of long-term adverse health outcomes such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.

One study, published in Pediatrics in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that few children with hepatitis C were referred for care. This study also revealed that there were significant disparities in whether these patients were provided care and treatment for their infection depending on a child’s race, geographic location and age. A second study, led by WashU Medicine researchers and published July 10 in Obstetrics & Gynecology Open, showed that recently pregnant women with the hepatitis C virus were significantly less likely to receive hepatitis C treatment than men or women who had not been recently pregnant.

“We have treatments for hepatitis C where it’s just two or three months of pills and then over 95% of people are cured,” said Megan Curtis, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at WashU Medicine, who led both studies. “But we are still having difficulties in getting the treatments to the populations that need them the most. These kinds of studies can help us identify where those barriers are.”

Disparities in hepatitis c treatment for children

Curtis has focused her research on identifying which patients experience gaps in access to hepatitis C treatment. Using anonymized data from a national database, she identified 928 pediatric patients who tested positive for hepatitis C between 2000 and 2022.

In the study published in Pediatrics, Curtis found that only about one in eight of these children were treated for hepatitis C, but that ratio was affected by certain factors. Children born between 2014 and 2018 were more likely to be treated than were those born earlier, which likely reflects changes in Medicaid and insurance coverage during that period, as well as increased availability of treatment for younger children in later years. However, this group’s rate of treatment was still much lower than that of adult patients with hepatitis C.

The study found racial and ethnic disparities as well. Compared to Black children, Hispanic children had about twice the odds and White children had about three times the odds of receiving care for hepatitis C. Geographic region also played a role in disparities: Children with hepatitis C living in the South were least likely to receive treatment compared to those in other regions of the country.

Although these differences may stem largely from socioeconomic disparities in access to health care and regional availability of providers, Curtis noted that other factors can also contribute to low overall treatments rates among children.

“Parents might also delay because of the difficulty of administering a medicine to a young child,” she said, “and clinicians may delay treatment because some children who have hepatitis C will spontaneously clear it on their own. However, this isn’t always the case.”

Treatment for recently pregnant women lags

Hepatitis C infections have been increasing in people with opioid use disorders. Within that population, men have been shown to be more likely to receive treatment for hepatitis C than women are. To understand why, Curtis, in collaboration with Kevin Xu, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and co-senior author of the study in Obstetrics & Gynecology Open, and their team set out to see if pregnancy might be playing a role in these sex disparities.

Given that people with opioid use disorder are at risk of contracting hepatitis C, the researchers used an administrative claims database and similar epidemiologic methods as in the pediatric study to analyze data on patients in treatment for opioid use disorder who were also confirmed to have hepatitis C. They found that recent pregnancy was strongly associated with a lower likelihood of receiving treatment for hepatitis C. Recently pregnant patients with hepatitis C were almost 30% less likely to receive antivirals than men were (31.8% versus 40.6%, respectively), and about 11% less likely than women who were not recently pregnant (31.8% versus 35.7%).

Caroline Cary, a third-year medical student at WashU Medicine who is the first author on the study, said the results suggest that more resources are needed to reach patients who are likely to slip through the cracks.

“People with hepatitis C are often asymptomatic for years after being exposed, so if you are young, otherwise healthy and have a new baby, getting prompt treatment may not be a top priority, especially if it is challenging to access,” said Cary. “It’s imperative to make hepatitis C care more readily accessible to new moms considering the long-term consequences of the condition.”

For Curtis, it’s a troubling problem because treatments for hepatitis C are very effective when started early and taken consistently.

“We need to come up with better strategies for addressing hepatitis C,” she said. “We have all the tools to eliminate it. We have medications that can treat it. We know the people who need to get it. We just need to step up the availability and the awareness. We could be done with hepatitis C in a generation.”

More information:
Caroline B. Cary et al, Association Between Sex and Recent Pregnancy and Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in People With Opioid Use Disorder, O&G Open (2025). DOI: 10.1097/og9.0000000000000096

Megan Rose Curtis et al, Disparities in Linkage to Care Among Children With Hepatitis C Virus in the United States, Pediatrics (2025). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-068565

Provided by
Washington University in St. Louis


Citation:
Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations (2025, July 11)
retrieved 11 July 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-hepatitis-treatment-populations.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.




Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations
A study led by Megan Curtis, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at WashU Medicine (right), and Caroline Cary, a third-year medical student, showed that recently pregnant women face disparities in access to treatment for hepatitis C infection. The research follows Curtis’ recent study that showed children are also undertreated for the virus. Credit: Matt Miller

As the opioid epidemic has worsened in the United States, prevalence of hepatitis C has also increased. Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus that damages the liver. It is mainly spread through sharing needles or other injection equipment and can also be passed from a mother to baby during pregnancy or childbirth. It can be safely and effectively treated by direct-acting antiviral therapies that are approved for both adults and children.

Two recent studies from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveal that two vulnerable populations—children and recently pregnant women—face disparities in access to treatment for hepatitis C infection. Without treatment, these groups are at risk of long-term adverse health outcomes such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.

One study, published in Pediatrics in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that few children with hepatitis C were referred for care. This study also revealed that there were significant disparities in whether these patients were provided care and treatment for their infection depending on a child’s race, geographic location and age. A second study, led by WashU Medicine researchers and published July 10 in Obstetrics & Gynecology Open, showed that recently pregnant women with the hepatitis C virus were significantly less likely to receive hepatitis C treatment than men or women who had not been recently pregnant.

“We have treatments for hepatitis C where it’s just two or three months of pills and then over 95% of people are cured,” said Megan Curtis, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at WashU Medicine, who led both studies. “But we are still having difficulties in getting the treatments to the populations that need them the most. These kinds of studies can help us identify where those barriers are.”

Disparities in hepatitis c treatment for children

Curtis has focused her research on identifying which patients experience gaps in access to hepatitis C treatment. Using anonymized data from a national database, she identified 928 pediatric patients who tested positive for hepatitis C between 2000 and 2022.

In the study published in Pediatrics, Curtis found that only about one in eight of these children were treated for hepatitis C, but that ratio was affected by certain factors. Children born between 2014 and 2018 were more likely to be treated than were those born earlier, which likely reflects changes in Medicaid and insurance coverage during that period, as well as increased availability of treatment for younger children in later years. However, this group’s rate of treatment was still much lower than that of adult patients with hepatitis C.

The study found racial and ethnic disparities as well. Compared to Black children, Hispanic children had about twice the odds and White children had about three times the odds of receiving care for hepatitis C. Geographic region also played a role in disparities: Children with hepatitis C living in the South were least likely to receive treatment compared to those in other regions of the country.

Although these differences may stem largely from socioeconomic disparities in access to health care and regional availability of providers, Curtis noted that other factors can also contribute to low overall treatments rates among children.

“Parents might also delay because of the difficulty of administering a medicine to a young child,” she said, “and clinicians may delay treatment because some children who have hepatitis C will spontaneously clear it on their own. However, this isn’t always the case.”

Treatment for recently pregnant women lags

Hepatitis C infections have been increasing in people with opioid use disorders. Within that population, men have been shown to be more likely to receive treatment for hepatitis C than women are. To understand why, Curtis, in collaboration with Kevin Xu, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and co-senior author of the study in Obstetrics & Gynecology Open, and their team set out to see if pregnancy might be playing a role in these sex disparities.

Given that people with opioid use disorder are at risk of contracting hepatitis C, the researchers used an administrative claims database and similar epidemiologic methods as in the pediatric study to analyze data on patients in treatment for opioid use disorder who were also confirmed to have hepatitis C. They found that recent pregnancy was strongly associated with a lower likelihood of receiving treatment for hepatitis C. Recently pregnant patients with hepatitis C were almost 30% less likely to receive antivirals than men were (31.8% versus 40.6%, respectively), and about 11% less likely than women who were not recently pregnant (31.8% versus 35.7%).

Caroline Cary, a third-year medical student at WashU Medicine who is the first author on the study, said the results suggest that more resources are needed to reach patients who are likely to slip through the cracks.

“People with hepatitis C are often asymptomatic for years after being exposed, so if you are young, otherwise healthy and have a new baby, getting prompt treatment may not be a top priority, especially if it is challenging to access,” said Cary. “It’s imperative to make hepatitis C care more readily accessible to new moms considering the long-term consequences of the condition.”

For Curtis, it’s a troubling problem because treatments for hepatitis C are very effective when started early and taken consistently.

“We need to come up with better strategies for addressing hepatitis C,” she said. “We have all the tools to eliminate it. We have medications that can treat it. We know the people who need to get it. We just need to step up the availability and the awareness. We could be done with hepatitis C in a generation.”

More information:
Caroline B. Cary et al, Association Between Sex and Recent Pregnancy and Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in People With Opioid Use Disorder, O&G Open (2025). DOI: 10.1097/og9.0000000000000096

Megan Rose Curtis et al, Disparities in Linkage to Care Among Children With Hepatitis C Virus in the United States, Pediatrics (2025). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-068565

Provided by
Washington University in St. Louis


Citation:
Hepatitis C treatment is not reaching some at-risk populations (2025, July 11)
retrieved 11 July 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-hepatitis-treatment-populations.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



Tags: Health ResearchHealth Research NewsHealth ScienceMedicine ResearchMedicine Research NewsMedicine Science
Previous Post

Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws

Next Post

What we’ve learned from FEMA’s response in the aftermath of Texas flooding » Yale Climate Connections

Related Posts

Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

July 12, 2025
6
body weight

Combination of obesity medication tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy fuels weight loss

July 12, 2025
11
Next Post
Creative Commons License

What we’ve learned from FEMA’s response in the aftermath of Texas flooding » Yale Climate Connections

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says

Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says todayheadline

July 12, 2025
Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

July 12, 2025
31 workers have been safely removed after part of an industrial tunnel in LA collapsed

A court called off a key 9/11 suspect’s plea deal. Here’s where the case stands

July 12, 2025

Texas Democrat: Government failed ‘at every level’ amid deadly flooding

July 12, 2025

Recent News

Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says

Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says todayheadline

July 12, 2025
4
Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

July 12, 2025
6
31 workers have been safely removed after part of an industrial tunnel in LA collapsed

A court called off a key 9/11 suspect’s plea deal. Here’s where the case stands

July 12, 2025
7

Texas Democrat: Government failed ‘at every level’ amid deadly flooding

July 12, 2025
5

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says

Risk of Powell ouster is underpriced, Deutsche Bank strategist says todayheadline

July 12, 2025
Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

Radiation therapy can promote amphiregulin, which increases growth of metastases

July 12, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co