AIM To evaluate immunological indices in HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) who are injecting drug users. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study examined 38 patients coinfected with HIV and CHC who were injecting drug users and 36 patients with HIV/CHC who were not injecting drug users. In the study of immune status, the relative and absolute numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD16+, and...

BACKGROUND The intersection between illicit drug use and female commercial sex work has been identified as an important factor responsible for rising HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSW) in several northeastern states of India. But, little is know about the factors associated with the use of drugs among FSWs in this region. The objective of the paper was to describe the factors associa...

BACKGROUND Injecting drug users are at increased risk for harmful effects compared to non-injecting drug users. Some studies have focused on differences in characteristics between these two groups (e.g., housing, overall health). However, no study has investigated the specific Dutch situation which in the last years has seen a decrease in homelessness among problematic hard-drug users and an in...

BACKGROUND Injecting drug use is an increasingly important cause of HIV transmission in most countries worldwide. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of injecting drug use among individuals aged 15-64 years, and of HIV among people who inject drugs. METHODS We did a systematic search of peer-reviewed (Medline, EmBase, and PubMed/BioMed Central), internet, and grey literature databases; an...

BACKGROUND Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been available in Guangdong province, China since 2006. This study aims to estimate the prevalence levels of HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), Tuberculosis (TB) and their co-infections and associated demographic and risk behaviours among MMT entrants. METHOD A total of 2296 drug users at the time of their MMT enrolment were recruited from four clinic...

Injecting drug users represent a high risk group for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and, in many locations, the majority will test positive for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) within two years of starting to inject. Although there is evidence of a reduction in rates of unsafe injecting, 3 there is little published research demonstrating that programmes that facilitate safe injecting have reduced ...

It has been estimated that there are now 800,000 active drug injecters living in the European Union. Drug injecting, which causes AIDS, is commonly practised among the drug abusers in this part of the world, where it quickly triggered a full-scale endemic of AIDS, HBV and HCV The various member-countries have responded in different ways. But the rates of infection are still alarmingly high ever...

Injecting drug use, mainly of heroin, currently represents a major public health issue in the North East of Scotland. The recent tendency of the committed injecting drug user to inject into the groin has created novel problems for the Infection Unit. Data are presented on 20 consecutive patients admitted between 1994 and 1999 with iliofemoral venous thromboses, often complicated by severe soft ...