title: Alcohol misuse and illicit drug use are associated with HCV/HIV co-infection.
abstract: We studied hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence and risk factors for HCV infection in a sample of Brazilian HIV-positive patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 580 HIV-positive patients from a specialized HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment centre in southern Brazil. All patients were interviewed for socio-demographic and risk factors and tested for HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA detection. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify risk factors for HCV infection. A total of 138 (24%) patients had past or chronic hepatitis C. The following risk factors were associated with HCV infection for each gender: alcohol misuse and injecting drug use in women (P < 0·001) and low educational level, smoking drug use, and injecting drug use in men (P < 0·01). These results suggest that alcohol misuse, low educational level, smoking drug use, and injecting drug use are probable risk factors for HCV infection in HIV-positive patients. This information contributes to an understanding of the epidemiology of HIV/HCV co-infection in Brazil.
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde,Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA),Canoas, RS,Brazil.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Simon
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde,Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA),Canoas, RS,Brazil.
authors: R T
authors: RT
authors: Michita
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva,ULBRA,Canoas, RS,Brazil.
authors: J U
authors: JU
authors: Béria
authors: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA),Porto Alegre, RS,Brazil.
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Tietzmann
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva,ULBRA,Canoas, RS,Brazil.
authors: A T
authors: AT
authors: Stein
authors: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde,Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA),Canoas, RS,Brazil.
authors: V R
authors: VR
authors: Lunge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*