Retrieval and re-evaluation of previously diagnosed chronic hepatitis C infections lost to medical follow-up in the Netherlands.

Objectives: Many individuals previously diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are likely to be lost to medical follow-up and, therefore, remain untreated despite new highly effective drug treatment, direct acting antivirals. We aim to identify and retrieve these chronic HCV-infected individuals to re-evaluate them and offer treatment.

Methods: Possible chronic HCV infections were identified from test results of the medical microbiological laboratory, notifications to the public health service, and the hospital registries over the past 15 years were checked in South Limburg, the Netherlands.