title: Hepatitis C virus antibody status, sociodemographic characteristics, and risk behaviour among injecting drug users in Croatia.
abstract: The study was conducted among 76 injecting drug users (IDU) from seven Croatian cities during a three-year period (2005-2007). Each participant completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and potential risk factors for hepatitis C virurs (HCV) infection followed by anti-HCV and anti-HIV antibody testing. The mean patient age was 30. The majority of patients (69.8%) reported more than one potential exposure to HCV: 97.1% had shared injecting equipment, 75% reported risk sexual behaviour, and 56.3% reported a history of travelling abroad. The overall HCV seroprevalence was 51.3% (95% CI = 40-63%). HCV seroprevalence increased with increasing number of risk behaviours (p = 0.026). Needle sharing frequency was the most important risk factor for hepatitis C. The HCV seroprevalence rate ranged from 27.3% in IDUs who answered that they shared needles occasionally to 100% in IDUs who always shared needles (p < 0.001). No other risk factors (age, gender, educational level, marital and employment status, history of travelling abroad and sexual risk behaviour) were associated with HCV seropositivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia. tatjana.vilibic-cavlek@hzjz.hr
authors.forename: Tatjana Vilibić
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Cavlek
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marić
authors.forename: Ljiljana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katicić
authors.forename: Branko
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kolarić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies