Self-reported hepatitis B and C virus infections had low sensitivity among HIV-infected patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the validity of self-reported hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV-infected injection drug users (IDUs) vs. nonIDUs.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was performed among HIV-infected IDUs and nonIDUs in the Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Database. Self-reported past HBV, HCV, and serostatus were obtained from the CFAR Database.


RESULTS
Among 970 subjects (798 nonIDUs; 172 IDUs), there was no difference in sensitivity of self-reported HBV between nonIDUs (27% [95/346]; 95% CI, 23%-32%) and IDUs (26% [31/117]; 95% CI, 19%-35%; P>0.5), but specificity was greater among nonIDUs (96% [360/374; 95% CI, 94%-98%] vs. 78% [28/36; 95% CI, 61%-90%]; P<0.001). Sensitivity of self-reported HCV was greater among IDUs (78% [101/130; 95% CI, 70%-85%] vs. 62% [47/76; 95% CI, 50%-73%]; P=0.02), but there was no difference in specificity (97% [626/643]; 95% CI, 96%-98% for nonIDUs vs. 93% [26/28]; 95% CI, 76%-99%] for IDUs; P=0.2).


CONCLUSIONS
The sensitivity of self-reported HBV and HCV compared to actual serostatus are not sufficiently high enough to warrant their use to estimate the prevalence and incidence of these infections.
Lo Re
Vincent
V
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA. vincent.lore@uphs.upenn.edu
Frank
Ian
I
Gross
Robert
R
Synnestvedt
Marie
M
Localio
A Russell
AR
Kostman
Jay R
JR
Strom
Brian L
BL
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications
D000914:Antibodies, Viral