Free Hepatitis C Screenings

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will offer free screenings for hepatitis C from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 23 at the UAMS College of Public Health. Registration is not required, and screenings are limited to 180 participants. An information session on the prevalence and treatment of hepatitis C is scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Speakers will include James Rose, M.D., assistant professor in the UAMS Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Lynn Frazier, advanced practice nurse and hepatitis C coordinator.

For information, call (501) 686-5545 or (501) 686-5179.

Lunch will be provided while supplies last. Parking is available for a nominal fee on the deck located at Markham Street and Hooper Drive.

Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. It affects more than 4 million Americans and often has no symptoms. People at risk for infection include those who received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before 1992, have used intravenous drugs, have frequent workplace contact with blood, have multiple sex partners, or were born to a hepatitis C-infected mother.

If left untreated it can cause cirrhosis, a disease that results in scarring of the liver, liver dysfunction and liver failure. Cirrhosis is the leading cause of liver transplants.