Oral Prescription Opioids as a High-Risk Indicator for Hepatitis C Infection: Another Step Toward HCV Elimination.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The opioid epidemic across the U.S. poses an array of public health concerns, especially HCV transmission. HCV is now widely curable, yet incident rates are increasing due to the opioid epidemic. Despite the established trajectory from oral prescription opioids (OPOs) to opioid use disorder (OUD), OUD to injection drug use (IDU), and IDU to hepatitis C virus (HCV), OPOs are not a defined risk factor (RF) for HCV infection. The objective of this study was to observe rates of HCV testing and Ab reactivity (HCVAb+) in patients receiving OPOs to substantiate them as a RF, ultimately contributing to HCV elimination.

Methods

Data from MedStar Health patients receiving OPOs from 1/2017 to 12/2018 were collected and analyzed using chi-squared or student t-tests and

SUBMITTER: Hack B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8414604 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature