ALT screening for HCV should be dropped by blood banks, NIH panel says.
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
ALT SCREENING FOR HCV SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED BY BLOOD BANKS, a National Institutes of Health consensus panel concluded Jan. 11 in Bethesda, Maryland. The panel of physicians and researchers made its recommendation based on the low positive predictive value of alanine aminotransferase tests in detecting the hepatitis C virus, as well as the availability of improved, HCV-specific tests. The consensus development conference was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and chaired by Jane Desforges, MD, New England Medical Center, Boston.