Predictors of treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in drug users.
Documented treatment rates for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are low. Within this cohort of HCV-infected patients (N = 373), participants who were not actively injecting drugs or not co-infected with HIV were most likely to initiate HCV treatment. Persons of white race and HIV-infected participants with a CD4 count above 200 were also more likely to have initiated HCV treatment. We defined five factors as potentially modifiable, and found almost all (90%) of the cohort had at least one such factor. Participants with more than one of these factors were least likely to initiate treatment. The proportion of patients receiving treatment increased as their number of modifiable risk factors decreased (p < 0.01, for trend). Focused strategies to overcome these potentially modifiable factors may be indicated to increase HCV treatment in affected populations.
Reed
Carrie
C
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. reedc@bu.edu
Stuver
Sherri O
SO
Tumilty
Sheila
S
Nunes
David
D
Murray
Jessica E
JE
Graham
Camilla S
CS
James Koziel
Margaret
M
Craven
Donald E
DE
Skolnik
Paul R
PR
Horsburgh
C Robert
CR
D000328:Adult; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015704:CD4 Antigens