Changing Trends in Drug Abuse Patterns and Seroprevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen, and Hepatitis C in Substance Abusers Admitted to A Tertiary Hospital in Amritsar, India

Abstract

Background: Injecting drug use is common among substance abusers, who frequently refer to rehabilitation centers and are detected positive for viral markers during routine screening. In this study, we evaluated drug abuse patterns and seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HCV among substance abusers in a specific period. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate drug abuse patterns and seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HCV among substance abusers in a specific period. Patients and Methods: Substance abusers, admitted to our institute for rehabilitation between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2016 were recruited in this study. All the patients were interviewed for sociodemographic characteristics and substance abuse history according to the predesigned performa. Blood samples were collected for testing HIV, HBsAg, and HCV. Statistics including percentage and mean were measured to assess the variables. The results were compared with a similar study at the same center, performed between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2012 (duration, 3.5 years) by the same principal author. Results: We studied 1206 patients, among whom 75.87% were married, and the majority were literate. In addition, most participants had a rural background, and farming was their main occupation. In total, 83.74% (n=1010) of the subjects had opioid dependence, 13.10% (n=158) had alcohol dependence, and 3.15% (n=38) were multiple drug abusers or used other substances. Overall, 192 (9.28%) patients were found positive for one or more viral markers. The majority of substance abusers (n=933; 77.36%) were in the age group of 20 - 40 years, among whom 258 (27.65%) were injecting drug users. Conclusions: In this study, the majority of cases (92.70%) had HCV, which is a matter of concern, as very little attention has been paid to HCV prevention and treatment, compared to HIV. Although HBV is not so common (0.06%), vaccination awareness can be still beneficial.