Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with hepatitis C: a cross-sectional study of persons who inject drugs in Puerto Rico, 2018.
BMC Public Health
; 23(1): 704, 2023 04 18.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37072733
BACKGROUND: People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are at a higher risk of acquiring bloodborne infections. We aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in PWID and identify correlates and risk factors using data from the Puerto Rico National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, PWID cycle 5, conducted in 2018. METHODS: A total of 502 San Juan Metropolitan Statistical Area participants were recruited through the Respondent Driven Sampling method. Sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral characteristics were assessed. Testing for HCV antibodies was completed after the face-to-face survey. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Overall seroprevalence of HCV was 76.5% (95% CI: 70.8-81.4%). A significantly (p < 0.05) higher HCV seroprevalence was observed among PWID with the following characteristics: heterosexuals (78.5%), high school graduates (81.3%), tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the past 12 months (86.1%), frequent speedball injection (79.4%), and knowing the HCV serostatus of the last sharing partner (95.4%). Adjusted logistic regression models showed that having completed high school and reported STI testing in the past 12 months were significantly associated with HCV infection (ORa = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.06-4.69; ORa = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.06-4.30, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We report a high seroprevalence of HCV infection in PWID. Social health disparities and potential missed opportunities validate the continuing call for local action for public health and prevention strategies.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
Abuso de Substâncias por Via Intravenosa
/
Hepatite C
/
Usuários de Drogas
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspecto:
Equity_inequality
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Caribe
/
Puerto rico
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Public Health
Assunto da revista:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Porto Rico
País de publicação:
Reino Unido