Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Treatment Status of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among People Who Use Drugs in South Korea: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people who use drugs (PWUD) in South Korea is limited. This study investigated the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and treatment rates of HCV infection among PWUD.

METHODS

From August 2022 to May 2024, 342 PWUD were prospectively enrolled in four hospitals covering 95% of PWUD care in Korea. Blood tests and questionnaires were conducted. If the anti-HCV antibody test was positive, a reflex test for HCV RNA was performed. The clinical characteristics were compared according to anti-HCV or HCV RNA positivity.

RESULTS

Among these patients (median age, 46 years; men, 76%; injection drug user, 92%; syringe sharing, 56%), the prevalence of anti-HCV and HCV RNA was 31.3% and 10.5%, respectively. Abnormal aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase levels were found in 24.6% of patients, and fibrosis-4 >3.25 was detected in 4.4% of patients. Anti-HCV positivity was independently associated with age (odds ratio [OR], 1.074), duration of injection drug use (OR, 1.060), sharing of syringes (OR, 3.510), and very low monthly income (OR, 2.598). Among anti-HCV positive patients, the treatment rate was significantly higher in the HCV RNA negative group (71.8%) than in the RNA positive group (16.7%). The only independent factor related to treatment uptake was having Medical Aid, which reimbursed 100% of the antiviral treatment (OR, 10.912; 95% confidence interval, 2.024 to 58.848; p=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Among PWUD in South Korea, the anti-HCV and HCV RNA prevalence rates were 31.3% and 10.5%, respectively. Only half of the anti-HCV positive PWUD received antiviral treatment. Treatment uptake was related to direct-acting antiviral affordability, suggesting a need for public support.