High prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among intravenous drug users in Korea

✍ Scribed by Haesun Yun; Daijin Kim; Soyeon Kim; Sujin Kang; Seunghee Jeong; Yonghoon Cheon; Keunho Joe; Do-Hoon Gwon; Sung-Nam Cho; Youngmee Jee

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 114 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21255

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Although intravenous drug users are a well‐known route of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission, there is no data on the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among intravenous drug users in Korea. In order to describe the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection, and to determine HCV genotypes in the population, serum samples were collected from 107 intravenous drug users during 2005–2006. Fifty‐seven percent (n = 61) were HCV RNA positive and 51% (n = 55) were HBV DNA positive. Co‐infection of HBV and HCV were found in 23% (n = 25). HCV genotypes 1b, 2a/2c, 2, 2b, and 3a were found in 38% (n = 23), 44% (n = 27), 8% (n = 5), 2% (n = 1), and 3% (n = 2), respectively. Moreover, mixed infections of genotypes 1b and 2a/2c were found in 5% (n = 3). When the number of patients with HCV genotype 1b compared with that of patients with genotype 2a/2c, HBV DNA titer was not significantly different by independent t‐test (t = −0.881, P = 0.392 > 0.05) between the two patient groups. These results suggest that the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among intravenous drug users is high showing over 50% in Korea and a strategic prevention program should be performed in this group to prevent further infection into local community. J. Med. Virol. 80:1570–1575, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.