The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has updated their 2004 recommendation on hepatitis B screening and now recommends screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in non-pregnant adolescents and adults at high risk for infection, which may include:
- Those born in countries where the prevalence of HBV infection is 2% or greater
- Those born in the U.S., not vaccinated in infancy, and whose parents were from a country with a high HBV prevalence
- HIV-positive people
- Injection drug users
- Household contacts of people with HBV
- Men who have sex with men
The updated recommendation comes after growing evidence on the effectiveness of antiviral treatments, and is in line with recommendations from the CDC and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The USPSTF has a separate Grade A Recommendation on screening for HBV in pregnant women at their first prenatal visit.
Resources:
Full USPSTF Recommendation
Annals of Internal Medicine Editorial
Last Updated on January 25, 2020 by HepFree NYC
