Validity of injecting drug users' self report of hepatitis A, B, and C

To test the validity of drug users self-reports of diseases associated with drug use, in this case hepatitis A, B, and C.

Injecting drug users (n = 653) were recruited and asked whether they had been diagnosed previously with hepatitis A, B, and/or C. These self-report data were compared to total hepatitis A antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, and hepatitis C antibody seromarkers as a means of determining the validity of the self-reported information.

Anchorage, Alaska.

Criteria for inclusion included being at least 18-years old; testing positive on urinalysis for cocaine metabolites, amphetamine, or morphine; having visible signs of injection (track marks).

Serological testing for hepatitis A, B, and C.

Findings indicate high specificity, low sensitivity, and low kappa coefficients for all three self-report measures.

Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in sensitivity associated with previous substance abuse treatment experience for hepatitis B self-report and with gender for hepatitis C self-report.

Given the low sensitivity, the validity of drug users, self-reported information on hepatitis should be considered with caution.