prevalence of hiv, hbv, and hcv and related risk factors amongst male homeless people in lorestan province, the west of iran

Background: homeless people are at a higher risk of blood-born infectious diseases. the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hiv, hbv, hcv and related risk factors among male homeless people. study design: a cross-sectional study. methods: this study was conducted in khorramabad city, western iran from january to june 2015. a pre-designed validated questionnaire was used to collect the data on behavioral and other potential risk factors. blood samples were taken in order to diagnose hiv, hepatitis b and c infections. the prevalence of hiv, hepatitis b, c and related risk factors was reported with a 95% confidence interval (ci). results: the participants were 307 male homeless people with a mean (±sd) age of 35.86 (±9.62) yr. the prevalence of hiv, hbs ag, and hcv ab positive cases was 6.51% (95% ci: 4.23, 9.90), 0.98% (95% ci: 0.31, 3.00), and 31.27% (26.31, 36.71), respectively. the prevalence of co-infections of hiv and hcv ab+ was 5.76% (95% ci: 1.34, 8.51). the most common recently used drugs were heroin, methamphetamine, and opium with a prevalence of 44.30%, 41.04%, and 24.76%, correspondingly. conclusions: according to this study, prevalence of hiv and hepatitis c among homeless people was considerable. abusing heroin, methamphetamine, and industrial drugs was also significant. considering the association between drug abuse, hiv, and hepatitis c infections, planning for effective control and preventive interventions is important in homeless people.