Snyder urges veterans to get Hepatitis-C test
MICHAEL ROWETT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder used the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock as a backdrop Wednesday to urge veterans and other Arkansans to
get tested for hepatitis-C.
Snyder, D-Ark., was joined at the news conference by a hospital physician
and two veterans with hepatitis-C, a blood-borne infectious disease of the
liver.
About 10 percent of veterans treated at veterans hospitals nationwide are
infected with the virus that causes hepatitis-C, said Dr. Jean-Pierre
Raufman, a gastroenterologist and liver-disease specialist who practices at
the VA hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little
Rock.
The primary people testing positive are ages 45-55, and Vietnam War-era
veterans make up 63 percent of those testing positive, according to
officials. These veterans are disproportionately affected because they often
received blood transfusions in combat situations during the United States'
eight-year involvement in Vietnam, said Snyder, a Marine Corps veteran.
The disease was first diagnosed in 1989, and it wasn't until 1992 that
donated blood could be reliably and accurately screened for the antibody,
according to Raufman.
"We need to be aggressive about getting screened," said Snyder, who is a
family physician and an attorney.
The disease is spread by contact with an infected person's blood, most
often through blood transfusions and less often through IV drug use, Raufman
said. Hepatitis-C isn't spread by casual contact such as shaking hands, or
hugging, kissing or sitting next to an infected person, he said.
For cases that go untreated, 20 percent to 40 percent of those infected
will end up with end-stage liver disease, which can include cirrhosis and
liver cancer.
Many people don't know they have the disease without the blood test used
to screen for it, since in its early stages the disease often shows no
symptoms. A diagnosis for the disease could come as late as 30 years after
infection, Raufman said.
Two veterans diagnosed with the disease accompanied Snyder at the news
conference to encourage Arkansans, especially veterans, to get tested.
Pat Joyce, 47, of Branson, a Navy veteran, was diagnosed with hepatitis-C
in early 1999. After a year of anti-viral treatment, he is in remission.
Michael McGuire, 50, of Bismarck, an Army veteran, hasn't been so lucky.
First diagnosed with the disease in 1997, he has signs of advanced liver disease. He's on a waiting list for a liver transplant. "I'd encourage all veterans -- and all of the general public -- to get
tested," McGuire said.
For the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, the Department of
Veterans Affairs budgeted about $40 million for outreach, testing, counseling and treating veterans infected with the virus. Comparable figures for Arkansas weren't available Wednesday.
It's not known how many veterans are infected, because only a small
percentage has been tested, said Sharon Palmer, a spokesman for the hospital.
Nationwide, an estimated four million Americans are infected with the
hepatitis-C virus, the Department of Veterans Affairs said.
More information is available by calling the department at (800) 827-1000
or by accessing the department's Web site at: www.va.gov/hepatitisc
This article was published on Thursday, August 24, 2000