Incidence of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Ireland

Abstract

BackgroundComprehensive information on the incidence and duration of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection for people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ireland is not available. We created an incidence curve of injecting drug use in Ireland and subsequently estimated incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.MethodsAnonymised data from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) were used to identify all people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and who entered drug treatment for the first time between 1991 and 2014. A curve, estimating the incidence of injecting, was created to plot PWIDs by year of commencing injecting. The curve was adjusted for missing data on PWIDs in treatment and for PWIDs who were never treated. An adjustment was made to account for injectors who had never shared injecting equipment. The incidence of HCV infection and chronic infection in PWIDs was estimated by applying published rates.ResultsBetween 1991 and 2014, 14,320 injectors were registered on NDTRS. The majority were young (median age 25 years), male (74%), lived in Dublin (73%) and injected an opiate (e.g. heroin) (94%). The estimated total number of injectors up to the end of 2014 was 16,382. An estimated 12,423 (95% CI 10,799-13,161) were infected with HCV, and 9,317 (95% CI 8,022-9,996) became chronically infected. The estimated annual number of new HCV infections among PWIDs increased steeply from the late 1970s and peaked in 1998. By 2014, almost 30% of injectors were estimated to have been infected for over 20 years.ConclusionsThis is the first comprehensive national estimate of the incidence of HCV in PWIDs in Ireland and will inform planning and developing appropriate health care services.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41124-017-0024-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…[45] Low uptake of screening and follow up assessments are also reported . [51][52][53] In Ireland, the treatment with DAAs is restricted to those with more advanced liver disease, determined by fibroscan score, with current guidelines identifying those with scores of > 8.5 kPa as being eligible for the treatment.…”

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“…Studies indicate a prevalence of HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) among PWID of 62-81% (29)(30)(31)(32). According to a recent study, between the years 1991-2014, an estimated 12,423 of approximately 16,400 PWIDs have been infected with HCV, with 9,317 chronically infected (27).…”

Publisher Correction to Hepatology, Medicine and Policy: Articles with DOIs 10.1186/s41124-017-0024-1, 10.1186/s41124-017-0025-0, 10.1186/s41124-017-0026-z and 10.1186/s41124-017-0027-y

“…The metadata in the HTML format of the below original articles [ 1 – 4 ] were published with an incorrect cover date. The correct cover date is December 2017.…”