Hepatitis C prevalence in injecting drug users in Europe, 1990–2007: impact of study recruitment setting

E. Rondy, L. Wiessing, Sharon Hutchinson, C. Mathei, F. Mathis, V. Mravcik, L. Norden, M. Rosiriska, O. Scutelniciuc, B. Suliqoi, F. Vallejo, M. VAN Veen, M. Kretzschmar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Monitoring injecting drug users' (IDUs) health is challenging because IDUs form a difficult to reach population. We examined the impact of recruitment setting on hepatitis C prevalence. Individual datasets from 12 studies were merged. Predictors of HCV positivity were sought through a multilevel analysis using a mixed-effects logistic model, with study identifier as random intercept. HCV prevalence ranged from 21% to 86% across the studies. Overall, HCV prevalence was higher in IDUs recruited in drug treatment centres compared to those recruited in low-threshold settings (74% and 42%, respectively, P < 0·001). Recruitment setting remained significantly associated with HCV prevalence after adjustment for duration of injecting and recent injection (adjusted odds ratio 0·7, 95% confidence interval 0·6–0·8, P = 0·05). Recruitment setting may have an impact on HCV prevalence estimates of IDUs in Europe. Assessing the impact of mixed recruitment strategies, including respondent-driven sampling, on HCV prevalence estimates, would be valuable.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)563-572
Number of pages10
JournalEpidemiology and Infection
Volume141
Issue number03
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2013

Keywords

  • hepatitis C
  • injecting drug use
  • Europe

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