Abstract
Background Up to 17 000 persons in the USA became infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 2007, and many cases have unknown transmission routes. To date research on transmission of HCV via shared implements used to snort or smoke non-injection drugs has been inconclusive.MethodsWe tested stored sera for HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) in a large population-based study of homeless and marginally housed persons in San Francisco. We examined the association between sharing implements used for snorting and smoking drugs and anti-HCV while controlling for sociodemographic variables in those who denied everinjecting drugs (n 430). We also examined the association of anti-HCV status with history of incarceration, tattoo and piercing history, sexual history and alcohol consumption.ResultsSeventeen percent of our sample was anti-HCV positive. We found no statistically significant associations with sharing implements used to smoke or snort drugs with anti-HCV status in our various multivariate models. There was a statistically significant negative association between ever snorting cocaine and anti-HCV status (adjusted odds ratio: 0.39; 95 confidence interval: 0.210.73). There were no other statistically significant associations with any other measured covariates in multivariate analyses.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that sharing implements to snort or smoke drugs is not a significant risk factor for anti-HCV-positive status.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 330-339 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Public Health (United Kingdom) |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- epidemiology
- liver disorders
- public health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health