Kennedy Lawford Urges America to Face Its Silent Epidemic - Hepatiti

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Kennedy Lawford Urges America to Face Its Silent

Epidemic - Hepatitis C

- Lawford joins Hep C STAT! campaign, encourages others to Stop, Test

and Treat

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kennedy

Lawford today announced his new role in helping to educate America

about hepatitis C, a silent viral infection of the liver that affects

an estimated four million Americans -- 70 percent of whom are unaware

of their disease. Lawford, an accomplished author/actor and nephew of

President F. Kennedy, is sharing his experience in being

diagnosed and successfully treated for hepatitis C as part of a

national education campaign called Hep C STAT! (Stop, Test And

Treat). The campaign encourages individuals to stop and consider

their own risk factors for hepatitis C, get tested, and if infected,

talk with a liver specialist about available treatment options.

" Many in my generation who engaged in adventuresome behaviors,

perhaps 20 years ago and maybe even just once -- having put their

past behind -- may not know that these activities leave them at risk

for hepatitis C today. Until my diagnosis, I was one of these

people, " said Lawford. " After the initial shock of this news, I

decided to fight back. Now, four years after successfully completing

treatment, there is still no trace of the virus in my blood. "

Hepatitis C is the most common chronic, blood-borne viral infection

in the United States -- four times more prevalent than HIV. Known as

a " silent disease, " hepatitis C often has few, if any, signs or

symptoms before causing significant liver damage. Combination therapy

with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, the standard of care

treatment today, has been shown in clinical trials to achieve

treatment success in approximately half of patients. (Response to

treatment may vary based on individual factors, such as genotype,

viral load and race.) There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

" As a research scientist and hepatitis C-treating physician, I see

firsthand the devastating impact of this disease -- from rising

caseloads of cirrhosis and liver cancer to an ever-growing wait list

for liver transplants, " said Dr. Jensen, Professor of Medicine

and Director of the Center for Liver Diseases at the University of

Chicago Hospital in Chicago. " It is my hope that this campaign will

increase awareness of the risk factors for hepatitis C, and prompt

infected patients to seek a referral to a liver specialist -- such as

a hepatologist or gastroenterologist -- to have a conversation about

whether treatment is medically appropriate. "

The Web site http://www.HepCSTAT.com is being made available for

individuals to learn more about risk factors associated with

hepatitis C infection, information on testing, and the importance of

treatment. The campaign and Web site are sponsored by Roche, as part

of its commitment to improving the diagnosis, treatment and public

awareness of hepatitis C.

Getting Tested for Hepatitis C

The following activities may put individuals at risk for hepatitis C

infection:

-- blood transfusions or major surgery in the U.S. prior to 1992;

-- illicit injection drug use;

-- healthcare workers or other professionals' occupational

accidents (war

veterans, particularly those who served in Vietnam, are

recognized to be at higher risk);

-- needlestick accidents among healthcare workers;

-- intranasal drug use through the sharing of straws or other

instruments;

-- tattoos in unsanitary conditions;

-- sharing certain personal care items (razors, toothbrushes,

nail clippers or nail files); or

-- blood-to-blood contact during sexual activity.

" One in five people has something in their past that puts them at

risk for hepatitis C. If you have a risk factor, it doesn't matter

which one -- get tested, " added Lawford.

Initial diagnosis of hepatitis C is usually determined with a simple

blood test, available through most primary healthcare providers.

Routine blood tests and yearly physicals, however, typically do not

include screening for hepatitis C virus.

Newer diagnostic technologies, referred to as molecular tests, offer

highly sensitive and specific diagnosis of active hepatitis C

infection by directly detecting the virus in the blood, rather than

the detection of an immune response offered by more traditional test

methods. Molecular tests are also used to quantify the amount of

virus in the blood (referred to as " viral load " testing), a widely

used measure of the effectiveness of treatment in reducing virus

levels in the body.

More About Kennedy Lawford

The son of the late actor Lawford and the late

Kennedy, Lawford has had many acting roles, including parts in the

films " Thirteen Days " and " The World's Fastest Indian, " as well

as " All My Children " and " General Hospital. " His personal memoir,

Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption, was

published in 2005 and was a New York Times Bestseller. Additionally,

he is currently writing two books and will appear

in the upcoming film " Slipstream, " starring Sir Hopkins.

Lawford is married and has three children from a previous marriage.