title: Insights on the Russian HCV Care Cascade: Minimal HCV Treatment for HIV/HCV Co-infected PWID in St. Petersburg.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in Russia, driven by injection drug use, has seen a steady rise in the past two decades. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent in people who inject drugs (PWID). The study aimed to describe the current frequency of HCV testing and treatment among HIV-infected PWID in St. Petersburg, Russia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study examined baseline data from the "Linking Infectious and Narcology Care" (LINC) and "Russia Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS" (Russia ARCH) studies. Participants included in this analysis were HIV-infected with a history of injection drug use. Descriptive statistics were performed to assess frequency of HCV testing and treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants (n=349 [LINC], 207 [Russia ARCH]) had a mean age of 33.8 years (IQR: 31-37) in LINC and 33.0 (IQR: 30-36) in Russia ARCH; 26.6% (LINC) and 29.0% (Russia ARCH) were female; 100% were Caucasian. Nearly all participants had been tested for HCV (98.9% in LINC, 97.1% in Russia ARCH). Almost all reported being diagnosed HCV positive (98.9% in LINC, 97.1% in Russia ARCH). Only 2.3% of LINC and 5.0% of Russia ARCH participants reported ever receiving HCV treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among these cohorts of HIV-infected PWID in St. Petersburg, Russia, as of 2015 nearly all reported being tested for HCV and testing positive, while only 3.3% received any HCV treatment. In this new era of effective HCV pharmacotherapy, an enormous chasm in the HCV treatment cascade in Russia exists providing substantial opportunities for curing HCV in HIV-infected Russians with a history of injection drug use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine and Harborview Hospital, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
authors.forename: Judith I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Tsui
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, 3nd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: St. Petersburg Bekhterev Research Psychoneurological Institute, Bekhtereva St., 3, St. Petersburg 192019, Russian Federation; First St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, Lev Tolstoy St. 6/8, St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Evgeny
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krupitsky
authors.affiliation: First St. Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, Lev Tolstoy St. 6/8, St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation; Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, Mira St. 14, St. Petersburg, 197101, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Dmitry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lioznov
authors.affiliation: Data Coordinating Center, Boston University School of Public Health, 85 East Newton Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chaisson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston Medical Center, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gnatienko
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA; Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Samet
keywords: HCV; HIV; PWID; Russia