title: Hepatitis B and C Virus Infections Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected People Who Inject Drugs in Lahore, Pakistan.
abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the major cause of the global burden of hepatitis. One of the main routes of transmission for both viruses is through exposure to infected blood, which includes sharing blood-contaminated syringes and needles. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the immune system and results in acquired immune deficiency syndrome and opportunistic infections. The objective of this study was to assess the epidemiology of HBV and HCV infections among HIV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID). The study enrolled 100 PWID from different addiction centers of the city of Lahore in Pakistan. All subjects were HIV-infected males and were above 16 years of age. Screening of HBV and HCV infections was performed through immunochromatography tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The prevalence of HCV and HBV infections among the 100 HIV-infected PWID was 55% and 6%, respectively. HIV monoinfection was found in 37% of the subjects, while triple infection was detected in 2% of the subjects. Majority of the HIV-infected PWID were using heroin and Avil injections (65%). Half of the subjects had used injection drugs for 1-5 years, while 32% had used injection drugs for 6-10 years. HCV infection was more common than HBV infection among the enrolled subjects. Most of the PWID were practicing heroin and Avil injections.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pathology, Allama Iqbal Medical College , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mansha
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imran
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Amir Miraj Ul Hussain
authors.initials: AMUH
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Microbiology, Abdul Wali Khan University , Mardan, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhsin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamal
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Fayyaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atif
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhammmad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.affiliation: 4 Interdisciplinary Research Center in Biomedical Materials (IRCBM), COMSATS Institute of Information Technology , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Sher Zaman
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Safi
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Radiological Sciences and Medical Imaging (DRSMI), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Zareen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fatima
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (DMLS), Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS), Imperial College of Business Studies (ICBS) , Lahore, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilal Waqar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HBV; HCV; HIV; PWID; infection; injection