Hepatitis C virus in intravenous drug users

Bell, James; Batey, Robert; Farrell, Geoffrey C.; Crewe, Evelyn; Cunningham, Anthony L.; Byth, Karen

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1990.tb136900.x

Cited by 124 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…9,10 Among injection-drug users who share needles or other equipment, the risk of infection is phenomenally high; 50 to 80 percent of such persons become infected after one year of drug use, and nearly all become infected after eight years of use. [11][12][13] The high risk is due, in part, to limited knowledge among drug users about infectivity and the routes of transmission of HCV. 14 Furthermore, among patients with chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis and associated complications are two to three times as likely to develop in those with chronic alcohol use, which is common among injection-drug users, as in those who do not drink.…”

Section: Treatment Of Chronic Hepatitis C In Active Drug Usersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Active Drug Users

Davis

Rodrigue²

2001

N Engl J Med

122

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Section: Treatment Of Chronic Hepatitis C In Active Drug Usersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Active Drug Users

Davis

Rodrigue²

2001

N Engl J Med

122

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“…Injection drug use was identified as a primary cause of HCV as early as 1990 (Bell et al, 1990; van den Hoek, van Haastrecht, Goudsmit, de Wolf, & Coutinho, 1990). While HCV incidence has been declining in the U.S. population since 1992, rates have been rising among young adults since 2004 (Klevens, Hu, Jiles, & Holmberg, 2012), and reports indicate increases in HCV among young injection drug use (IDUs)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008, 2011; Valdiserri et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between prescription opioid injection and Hepatitis C virus among young injection drug users

Lankenau

Kecojevic

Silva

2014

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

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Objective Hepatitis C virus (HCV) incidence has been increasing among young injection drug users (IDUs). This analysis examined whether the emerging practice of prescription opioid (PO) injection is associated with self-reported HCV among young IDUs. Methods Young IDUs (n = 162) aged 18–25-years-old who indicated recent misuse of prescription drugs were sampled in New York and Los Angeles during 2009–2011. Participants reported lifetime PO injection history and results from their most recent HCV test as well as demographic characteristics and lifetime drug use. Bivariate analyses examined relationships between covariates and both lifetime PO injection and HCV positivity. Poisson regression examined the associations between lifetime PO injection, HCV positivity, and significant covariates. Results A majority reported lifetime PO injection (72.2%) and 30.9% self-reported being HCV positive. Lifetime PO injectors were nearly three times more likely to report being HCV positive than non-PO injectors (adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR): 2.69, p<0.05) after controlling for socio-demographic and other drug use variable. Additionally, substituting POs for heroin (AIRR: 2.27, p<0.05), growing up in a lower social class (AIRR: 1.67, p<0.05), age (AIRR: 1.12, p<0.05), age of injection initiation (AIRR: 0.87, p<0.001), and history of being prescribed stimulants (AIRR: 0.64, p<0.05) were independently associated with HCV positivity. Conclusions Findings suggest that PO injection should be given further consideration as a contributing factor to rising HCV infection among young adults in the US.

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“…Additionally studies have often been limited by suboptimally matched control groups, allowing for the confounding influence of differences in education or premorbid ability on NP results. Another important weakness in most of the existing literature is lack of documentation about HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) serostatus, as seropositivity for these viruses is prevalent among meth users (Alter et al, 1999; Bell et al, 1990; Frosch et al, 1996; Halkitis et al, 2001) and can be associated with neurocognitive problems in the absence of meth use (Bornstein et al, 1993; Cherner et al, 2005; Heaton et al, 1995; Hilsabeck et al, 2002). Finally, an important shortcoming of most studies is the use of raw score differences in test performance between meth users and control groups, which are not only susceptible to demographic influences (e.g., even seemingly small differences in education can affect test scores), but also do not indicate whether these performance differences correspond to actual cognitive impairment (as opposed to just lower level of performance) likely to have functional consequences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methamphetamine use parameters do not predict neuropsychological impairment in currently abstinent dependent adults

Cherner

Suárez

Casey

et al. 2010

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Methamphetamine (meth) abuse is increasingly of public health concern and has been associated with neurocognitive dysfunction. Some previous studies have been hampered by background differences between meth users and comparison subjects, as well as unknown HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) status, which can also affect brain functioning. We compared the neurocognitive functioning of 54 meth dependent (METH+) study participants who had been abstinent for an average of 129 days, to that of 46 demographically comparable control subjects (METH-) with similar level of education and reading ability. All participants were free of HIV and HCV infection. The METH+ group exhibited higher rates of neuropsychological impairment in most areas tested. Among meth users, neuropsychologically normal (n=32) and impaired (n=22) subjects did not differ with respect to self-reported age at first use, total years of use, route of consumption, or length of abstinence. Those with motor impairment had significantly greater meth use in the past year, but impairment in cognitive domains was unrelated to meth exposure. The apparent lack of correspondence between substance use parameters and cognitive impairment suggests the need for further study of individual differences in vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine.

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Hepatitis C virus in intravenous drug users

Cited by 124 publications

References 9 publications

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Active Drug Users

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Active Drug Users

Associations between prescription opioid injection and Hepatitis C virus among young injection drug users

Methamphetamine use parameters do not predict neuropsychological impairment in currently abstinent dependent adults

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