Hepatitis C virus infection and injection drug users: prevention, risk factors, and treatment

Publication

Hepatitis C virus infection and injection drug users: prevention, risk factors, and treatment

Journal Paper/Review - Apr 15, 2005

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

Citation

Backmund M, Reimer J, Meyer K, Gerlach T, Zachoval R. Hepatitis C virus infection and injection drug users: prevention, risk factors, and treatment. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2005; 40 Suppl 5:S330-5.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2005; 40 Suppl 5

Publication Date

Apr 15, 2005

Issn Electronic

1537-6591

Pages

S330-5

Brief description/objective

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.