Hepatitis C: clinical and biological features related to different forms of cocaine use

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is related with several liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas, leading to more than 0.5 million deaths every year and to a great global burden. It is known that injection drug users show a high prevalence of HCV infection, being considered a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy 2017-10, Vol.39 (4), p.285-292
Main Authors: Schuch-Goi, Silvia Bassani, Scherer, Juliana Nichterwitz, Kessler, Felix Henrique Paim, Sordi, Anne Orgler, Pechansky, Flavio, von Diemen, Lisia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cirrhosis
Cocaine
cocaína
Contamination
drogas injetáveis
drogas não-injetáveis
Drug abuse
Drug use
HCV
Health risk assessment
Hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Immune system
Immunosuppressive agents
Infections
Liver cirrhosis
Liver diseases
PSYCHIATRY
sistema imune
Syringes
uso de drogas
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Summary:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is related with several liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas, leading to more than 0.5 million deaths every year and to a great global burden. It is known that injection drug users show a high prevalence of HCV infection, being considered a risk group for this disease. Cocaine users seem to be in greater risk than other drug users, and several hypotheses for this association are being studied. To review data on HCV infection in cocaine users, taking into consideration the relevance of the different routes of drug administration and other risk behaviors. This was a narrative review performed in the main scientific databases. Data suggest that cocaine use could be associated with HCV infection due to the specificities of cocaine consumption pattern, even in those subjects who do not inject drugs, in addition to other risky behaviors, such as tattooing and unprotected sex. Injectable cocaine users seem to be more susceptible to contamination than users who do not inject drugs. However, evidence is pointing to the possibility of infection by sharing drug paraphernalia other than syringes. Moreover, specific immune system impairments caused by cocaine use are also being linked with HCV infection susceptibility, persistence and increased pathological effects.
ISSN:2237-6089
2238-0019
2238-0019
DOI:10.1590/2237-6089-2016-0076