Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39188540›Full record

ArticleJHEP reports : innovation in hepatology2024

Successful hepatitis B and C screening in the health check-up in the German primary care setting.

Olaf Bätz, David Petroff, Katrin Jedrysiak, Ingmar Wolffram, Thomas Berg, Jan Kramer, Johannes Wiegand

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Population-based prevalence and screening gaps of hepatitis C, B and D, Germany, 2020 to 2021.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Beyond Risk Factors: Rethinking Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Screening in Primary Care.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Olaf BätzLADR Laboratory Group Dr. Kramer & Colleagues, Geesthacht, Germany.
David PetroffClinical Trial Centre Leipzig, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Katrin JedrysiakLADR Laboratory Group Dr. Kramer & Colleagues, Geesthacht, Germany.
Ingmar WolfframGeneral Practitioner, Paderborn, Germany.
Thomas BergDivision of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.
Jan KramerLADR Laboratory Group Dr. Kramer & Colleagues, Geesthacht, Germany.
Johannes WiegandDivision of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background & Aims: A goal of the World Health Organization's global hepatitis strategy is the elimination of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030. As part of its strategy, the Federal Joint Committee (Germany) decided to include hepatitis B and C screening in a preventive medical examination, which is performed at the primary care level in Germany. We investigated the results 1 year after implementation of screening between October 2021 and September 2022. Methods: HBsAg/HBV DNA and anti-HCV/HCV RNA screenings were identified by billing categories in 286,192 individuals of 11 ambulatory healthcare centers. Results: Compared to 30,106 HBsAg and 31,266 anti-HCV laboratory requisitions in the year 2018, the number of tests increased to 286,192 during the screening period. Compared to routine care, additional anti-HCV positive tests age dependently increased the tally by 98% (177 plus 170 positive cases in males) and 123% (96 plus 118 positive cases in females) in those aged 35-44 years up to 518% (17 plus 88 positive cases in males) and 514% (29 plus 149 positive cases in females) in those aged 75-84 years. Similar results were observed for HBsAg. Prevalences of HBsAg, anti-HCV and HCV RNA were 0.54%, 0.79% and 0.13%, respectively. Conclusions: A structured hepatitis screening program at the primary care level has been successfully established and leads to age- and-sex-dependent large additional effects compared to routine care. Impact and implications: Strategies to eliminate chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection are country specific and vary between clinical scenarios. Our analysis proves the efficacy of a screening program by primary care physicians compared to routine care in a low-prevalence country. This program should be accompanied by additional efforts in risk populations like people who inject drugs who are under-represented in the current screening approach.

Indexed as

anti-HCVeliminationHBsAgHBV DNAHCV RNAWHO

Identifiers

PMID39188540
PMCPMC11345383

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.