Hepatitis in 101 consecutive suburban cocaine and opiate users.
The records of 101 cocaine and/or heroin drug abusing patients admitted consecutively to Fair Oaks Hospital were evaluated for history of IV drug abuse, antigen and serum antibody evidence of hepatitis A and B infection, and elevation of serum SGPT. One patient, an IV user, had hepatitis B antigen present in his blood. No patient had acute hepatitis A (IgM) antibody present. Forty-five out of fifty-three (84.9%) IV abusers were Hep B Ab positive, while two out of twenty-nine non-IV abusers (6.9%) were positive. Twenty of fifty-three (43.4%) IV users had positive hepatitis A Ab while one of twenty-nine (3.4%) of non-IV users were positive. Thirty-five of fifty-five (63.6%) IV users had elevated SGPT compared to five of forty-one (12.2%) in non-IV users. IV users tended to be older than non-IV users. The data presented in this article indicate that there is a greatly increased incidence of both hepatitis A and B in IV drug users compared to non-IV users and that the hepatitis B incidence is increased in a far greater amount than could be expected in a normal population. The type of drug injected (heroin, other opiates, or cocaine) was not an important determinant. The presence of hepatitis B antibodies in any drug abusing patient who denies IV use is a strong indication that they may not be telling the truth about their past drug abuse. It makes little difference whether drug abusing patients live in the inner city or the suburbs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000635:transmission*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D013383:Suburban Population
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D003042:Cocaine