[Drug-addicted prisoners: seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B and C virus soon after the marketing of buprenorphine].
OBJECTIVE
Considering the importance to public health and the frequency with which drug addicts are imprisoned, we studied the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as drug addiction of patients admitted to the Elsau prison in Strasbourg (France).


METHODS
The prospective study included all entering inmates from 1 September to 31 October 1997 (270 persons) to whom HIV, HBV and HCV blood tests were offered as well as a questionnaire on their drug addiction.


RESULTS
Thirty-six percent of the entering inmates were drug addicts, of whom 1% were HIV positive, 11.2% HBV positive and 30% HCV positive, compared to, respectively, 0.6, 9.9 and 6.4% for non-drug addicts. Ninety-five of the 98 patients used several drugs, including buprenorphine for 53 patients. At the beginning of this study, buprenorphine had been available in France for 9 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The results are to be taken seriously regarding the misuse of this product in this selected population (intravenous use, multiple drug use, dealing).
Claudon-Charpentier
A
A
Service pharmacie, hôpital de Hautepierre, Hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, France.
Hoibian
M
M
Glasser
P
P
Lalanne
H
H
Pasquali
J L
JL
D000328:Adult; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011329:Prisoners; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*
D009294:Narcotics; D002047:Buprenorphine