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Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection in individuals infected with the HIV

F H Wolff1, S C Fuchs, N T Barcellos

  • 1Post-Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. fhwolff@terra.com.br

Digestive and Liver Disease : Official Journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver
|December 22, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in individuals with HIV is linked to sharing personal hygiene items, not just injecting drug use. This finding is crucial for developing new prevention strategies against HCV-HIV co-infection.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hepatology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission routes among HIV-AIDS patients, beyond injecting drug use, are not well-defined.
  • Existing risk estimates for HCV infection in HIV-positive individuals often lack adjustment for confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and characterize the factors associated with Hepatitis C virus infection in individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
  • To identify non-traditional transmission routes of HCV in a co-infected population.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study was conducted in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil.
  • Cases comprised patients co-infected with HIV and HCV, while controls were infected solely with HIV.
  • Data were collected from consecutively enrolled patients at a public healthcare outpatient HIV-AIDS reference center.

Main Results:

  • Male gender, age between 30-49 years, elementary education, and lower family income were associated with HCV co-infection.
  • Sharing personal hygiene objects (OR 2.0) and crack cocaine use (OR 2.8) were independently linked to HCV co-infection.
  • Injecting drug use showed a strong association (OR 21.6) with Hepatitis C virus and HIV co-infection.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirms the established risk profile for HCV-HIV co-infection.
  • Sharing personal hygiene objects emerges as a potential, previously underestimated, route for HCV transmission in this population.
  • Findings underscore the need for targeted preventive strategies addressing hygiene practices to curb HCV spread among HIV-positive individuals.
Abstract

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