Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Injection Drug Users: Prevention, Risk Factors, and Treatment

Markus Backmund,Kirsten Meyer,J Tilman Gerlach,Jens Reimer,Reinhart Zachoval

doi:10.1086/427475

Markus Backmund, Kirsten Meyer + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1086/427475

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Abstract

Injection drug users (IDUs) are the largest group of persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with a prevalence of 50%-90%. The transmission of HCV is not the effect of the drug injected but of sharing contaminated equipment. For the sake of prevention, we have to know which factors are more likely to lead to HCV seroconversion and which particular situations and environments are risk factors for equipment sharing. As far as therapy is concerned, some studies have shown that treatment for HCV infection in IDUs during substitution treatment for drug dependency is as successful as is treatment of patients who are not IDUs. Screening and early treatment of IDUs could play an important role in controlling HCV infection. The rate of reinfection may not as high as supposed. All studies dealing with treatment for HCV infection in IDUs have stressed the necessity of collaboration among hepatologists and specialists in addiction medicine, social workers, and psychotherapists.

Highlights

Injection drug users (IDUs) are the largest group of persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States and in Europe
We investigated risk factors for HCV infection in a cohort of patients admitted to our detoxification unit
By use of multiple logistic regression, we found that older age, longer duration of opioid use, living with other longterm drug users, history of imprisonment, history of inpatient abstinence-oriented psychotherapeutic therapy, and additional daily consumption of alcohol were independently associated with serologic test results positive for antibody to HCV [8]

Summary

Introduction

Injection drug users (IDUs) are the largest group of persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States and in Europe. As shown in our previous study [38], patients who had a drug relapse and entered a methadone treatment program reached a rate of sustained virological response of 53% (figure 3). Of the remaining 30 patients, 27 (57%) achieved had test results negative for the presence of HCV RNA 8 weeks after the start of treatment for HCV infection [40].

Results

Conclusion