Benzodiazepine Use and Hepatitis C Seroconversion in a Cohort of Persons Who Inject Drugs.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the relationship between benzodiazepine (BZD) use and HCV seroconversion in 2 linked prospective cohorts of persons who inject drugs (PWID).

METHODS:

We examined prospective cohorts of 440 PWID (baseline BZD users: n = 102; 23.2%) from the AIDS Care Cohort to Evaluate Access to Survival Services (ACCESS) and the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS) cohorts, followed-up from 1996 to 2013 in Vancouver, Canada.

RESULTS:

At baseline, the prevalence of HCV was higher among those who used BZD (80.5% vs 61.5%; P < .001). After adjustment, BZD use remained independently associated with increased rates of HCV seroconversion (adjusted rate ratio = 1.67; 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 2.66).

CONCLUSIONS:

BZD use is independently associated with HCV seroconversion in a population of PWID.

• Authors: Paxton Bach, Geoffrey Walton, Kanna Hayashi, M-J Milloy, Huiru Dong, Thomas Kerr, Julio Montaner, Evan Wood
• Journal: American journal of public health (Am J Public Health) Vol. 106 Issue 6 Pg. 1067-72 (06 2016) ISSN: 1541-0048 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26985601 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Benzodiazepines

Topics

• Benzodiazepines (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Canada (epidemiology)
• Female
• Hepacivirus (immunology)
• Hepatitis C (epidemiology, immunology, transmission)
• Humans
• Male
• Prevalence
• Prospective Studies
• Seroconversion
• Substance Abuse, Intravenous (epidemiology, immunology)
• Young Adult