Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze del Sistema Nervoso e del Comportamento, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2023 Apr-Jun;59(2):108-113. doi: 10.4415/ANN_23_02_03.
We aimed at evaluating hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence and treatment referral outcomes in a large population of drug users in Northern Italy.
Each participant underwent a quick capillary blood test. Positive participants underwent HCV RNA quantification. HCV RNA positive subjects were referred to treatment and evaluated immediately at the end of treatment and at 3 and 6 months after treatment.
Of the 636 participants tested, 244 were positive. Intravenous drug use was more frequent among subjects who tested positive for HCV antibodies (99%). Among subjects who tested positive, 68% were HCV-RNA positive while 32% were negative. Among people referred to treatment, nearly 30% did not show up while 70% completed the treatment with success. Over 99% of people who started direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) have a sustained response.
We observed a significant higher prevalence of HCV positive subjects among people who inject drugs (99%) and we observed a high success rate for HCV treatment engagement.
Rapid testing for HCV represents a potential tool for HCV screening among high-risk groups.
我们旨在评估意大利北部一个大型吸毒人群中的丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)流行率和治疗转介结果。
每位参与者都接受了快速毛细血管血检。阳性参与者进行了 HCV RNA 定量检测。HCV RNA 阳性的受试者被转介进行治疗,并在治疗结束时、治疗后 3 个月和 6 个月进行评估。
在接受检测的 636 名参与者中,有 244 名呈阳性。在 HCV 抗体检测呈阳性的受试者中,静脉吸毒更为常见(99%)。在呈阳性的受试者中,68% HCV-RNA 阳性,32% HCV-RNA 阴性。在被转介接受治疗的人群中,近 30%的人未出现,而 70%的人成功完成了治疗。开始使用直接作用抗病毒药物(DAA)的人中,超过 99%的人获得了持续应答。
我们观察到注射吸毒者中 HCV 阳性受试者的比例显著更高(99%),并且我们观察到 HCV 治疗参与的成功率很高。
快速 HCV 检测可能成为高危人群 HCV 筛查的一种潜在工具。