Association Between Prescription Opioid Therapy for Noncancer Pain and Hepatitis C Virus Seroconversion.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Initiation of injection drug use may be more frequent among people dispensed prescription opioid therapy for noncancer pain, potentially increasing the risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) acquisition.

Objective

To assess the association between medically dispensed long-term prescription opioid therapy for noncancer pain and HCV seroconversion among individuals who were initially injection drug use-naive.

Design, setting, and participants

A population-based, retrospective cohort study of individuals tested for HCV in British Columbia, Canada, with linkage to outpatient pharmacy dispensations, was conducted. Individuals with an initial HCV-negative test result followed by 1 additional test between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2017, and who had no history of

SUBMITTER: Wilton J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8756332 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature