Risk factors associated with Hepatitis C among female substance users enrolled in community-based HIV prevention studies

Abstract

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most frequent chronic blood-borne infections in the United States. The epidemiology of HCV transmission is not completely understood, particularly in women and minorities. Findings We examined the HCV associated risk factors in substance abusing females involved in National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded HIV prevention studies of street recruited women. As a part of the 12 month follow-up, participants were interviewed about substance use and sexual risk behaviors, including drug implement sharing practices, tattoos, body piercing and blood transfusions and the sharing of personal hygiene equipment including tweezers, toothbrushes and razors. Urine and blood testing for HCV antibody (Ab), HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) was conducted at the time of assessment. Among 782 predominantly African American women, 162 (21%) tested positive for HCV Ab. Older age (p Conclusions This large community based sample of predominantly African American substance abusing women showed high prevalence of HCV Ab positivity and low awareness of their HCV serostatus. Our study demonstrated that in addition to intravenous drug use (IDU), other factors were significantly associated with HCV Ab positivity such as having a tattoo and a lifetime history of crack use. Other potential routes of HCV transmission should be further studied among high risk female populations.