Hepatitis C Virus Screening Among Adolescents Attending a Drug Rehabilitation Center

BACKGROUNDHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has a strong association with intravenous drug use (IVDU). IVDU is a growing public health concern, even in the adolescent population. To our knowledge, there are no published HCV screening studies targeting high-risk adolescents who attend drug rehabilita...

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Published in:Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 2020-09, Vol.9 (4), p.437-441
Main Authors: Fernandes, Neil Dominic, Banik, Swagata, Abughali, Nazha, Sthapit, Bonisha, Abdullah, Neelab, Fragassi, Philip
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:BACKGROUNDHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has a strong association with intravenous drug use (IVDU). IVDU is a growing public health concern, even in the adolescent population. To our knowledge, there are no published HCV screening studies targeting high-risk adolescents who attend drug rehabilitation centers.This study was designed to determine the seroprevalence of HCV infection utilizing point-of-care (POC) testing at an adolescent drug rehabilitation center and gain a preliminary understanding of the acceptance rate for HCV screening in this high-risk population. METHODSThis single-center, observational study was conducted at a major drug rehabilitation center in northeast Ohio from July 2016 to June 2017. The consented adolescents who presented at the center were recruited to participate in HCV screening. The participants were administered a survey to assess their demographics and risk behavior profile followed by HCV testing utilizing a POC test. RESULTSDuring the study period, 150 adolescents were admitted to the drug rehabilitation center, of whom 100 were approached and 85 agreed to participate. Forty percent of the participants (34/85) were females, and 78% (66/85) were white. HCV prevalence among participants was 5% (4/85), all of whom were females. History of heroin use was reported by 15% (13/85) and it was associated with HCV seropositivity; 100% (4/4) of all HCV-positive individuals reported the use of heroin vs only 11% (9/81) of HCV-negative individuals (P = .0004). CONCLUSIONSOur study showed a high prevalence of HCV among adolescents attending a drug rehabilitation center with high acceptance of POC HCV testing.
ISSN:2048-7207
2048-7207
DOI:10.1093/jpids/piz065