Hepatitis C among Intravenous Drug Users in Isfahan, Iran: A Study of Seroprevalence and Risk Factors

Objectives: hepatitis c virus (hcv) is one of the major public healthproblems worldwide which is transmitted through contact with infectedblood or blood products. one of the most prevalent modes ofhcv transmission is injecting drug with unclean needles or syringes.therefore intravenous drug users (ivdus) are the most importantgroup who should be considered. the aim of this study was to evaluateseroprevalence and risk factors of hepatitis c virus in ivdus population.methods: the cross-sectional study was carried out on intravenousdrug users who attended health and social care drop-in centers duringnovember 2008 to february 2009 in isfahan province, iran. data wasgathered using interviewer-administered questionnaire including demographiccharacteristics and main risk factors for hcv infection. 5mlvenous blood sample was obtained from each subject. the hcv-abtest was performed on all blood samples by elisa. the data was analyzedusing descriptive statistical methods and multiple logistic regressionsby spss software, version 15.results: the mean age of participants was 31.77 ± 8.51. 503 (94.7%)were men and 28 (5.3%) were women. hcv seroprevalence was 47.1%(95% ci: 42.9, 51.3). the multiple logistic regressions demonstratedthat history of tattooing (or 1.72, 95% ci 1.02-2.90), history of imprisonment(or 2.49, 95% ci 1.40-4.42) and sharing needles/syringes(or 2.76, 95% ci 1.54-4.95) are significant predictors of risk of hcvin ivdu population.conclusions: in conclusion, according to the high prevalence of hcvinfection among ivdus and high adds of hcv infection from tattooing,sharing of needles/syringes and imprisonment, effective harmreduction programs should be expanded among ivdus to preventnew hcv infections.