New state report finds hepatitis C deaths happening at earlier age in Hawaiʻi

A new report released by the state found that deaths associated with hepatitis C are happening at an earlier age in Hawaiʻi than elsewhere throughout the United States.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health released “Premature Deaths and Disparities Associated with Hepatitis C: The Hawaiʻi Hepatitis C Mortality Report” as part of Liver Cancer Awareness Month, which is observed in October.

The report analyzed mortality data from 2000 to 2021 to understand the burden of hepatitis C infections on local communities, and its findings will guide efforts to improve liver health and reduce hepatitis C deaths in the state.

“Deaths due to hepatitis C are completely preventable,” said state Health Director Dr. Kenneth Fink. “Although Hawaiʻi has made progress in reducing these deaths, people are still dying unnecessarily from a curable infection. [The Department of Health] is committed to working with our local coalition Hep Free Hawaiʻi and other partners to eliminate this deadly disease.”

The novel report is the first comprehensive analysis of hepatitis C death data for Hawaiʻi.

The most important findings include:

• People with hepatitis C die at a younger age than the general population.
• Most Hawaiʻi residents who died from hepatitis C-related causes (88%) did not reach age 75, younger than the 2021 life expectancy in the United States.
• Many deaths happen prior to retirement age.
• Among Hawaiʻi residents who died from hepatitis C-associated causes, more than 40% died before the average retirement age of 65 years compared with 23% for all causes of death.

Despite the report’s findings, progress is being made.

Hepatitis C death rates in Hawaiʻi were lower than the national average from 2017 to 2020.

The islands had 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020 compared with the nation’s 3.45 per 100,000 people.

Disparities in death rates were observed, however, for Hawaiʻi’s men and white residents.

To stem the tide of preventable deaths, the report makes recommendations for how to eliminate hepatitis C in the islands, including universal reflex testing and increased access to curative medication. It also prioritizes population-based data collection and analysis to share more information with community partners.

The report was the result of a multi-sector collaboration between the state Health Department and partners including Hep Free Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It aligns with Hep Free 2030, the statewide strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis in Hawaiʻi by 2030, which was developed by the state Health Department in collaboration with Hep Free Hawaiʻi and more than 160 community stakeholders.

Click here to download the entire report.

Click here for free local hepatitis C provider training.

For local hepatitis C screening and treatment resources or more information about hepatitis elimination efforts in the islands, visit the Hep Free Hawaiʻi website.