Odds of HIV among incarcerated drug users: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Asian countries

• Published in: Annals of medicine and surgery 2023-11, Vol.85 (11), p.5584-5592
• Main Authors: Hussain, Hassan ul, Kumar, Kanwal Ashok, Rehan, Syeda Tayyaba, Khan, Zayeema, Hashmi, Mahnoor Rehan, Khabir, Yumna, Fatir, Chaudhary Abdul, Tahir, Muhammad Junaid, Ahmed, Ali, Shrateh, Oadi N., Huda, Md. Nazmul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Review
• ISSN: 2049-0801; 2049-0801
• DOI: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000001242

BackgroundHIV makes up a large portion of infectious diseases globally. People injecting drugs in prisons are at high risk for contracting HIV infection. Prisons house ~10.2 million people globally, making them a high-risk setting for HIV transmission. This systematic review summarizes the available data on the odds of developing HIV infection among imprisoned people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Asian regions.MethodsThe authors electronically assessed published studies from January, 2000 to December, 2022, including studies that investigated the odds of HIV in imprisoned PWIDs. We extensively searched PubMed, ERIC, and Cochrane Central and Google Scholar with no constraints in language or time. All the observational studies evaluating the chances of HIV in Asian prisoners with an exposure group of PWIDs and a control group of non-injecting-drug users were included in our analysis.ResultsThe databases search yielded 254 potential studies, 10 observational studies of which having a total of 17 333 participants were included. A low or moderate risk of bias was reported in all the studies except one case-control. The pooled analysis showed a significant association between PWIDs and the chances of contracting HIV infection (Odds ratio=6.40; 95% CI=3.89-10.52; P