International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 21, Issue 6 , Pages 471-476 , November 2010

Gender differences in hepatitis C antibody prevalence and risk behaviours amongst people who inject drugs in Australia 1998–2008

  • Jenny Iversen

      Affiliations

    • Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology and Prevention Program, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • ,
  • Handan Wand

      Affiliations

    • Biostatistics and Databases Program, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • ,
  • Andrea Gonnermann

      Affiliations

    • Human and Health Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany
    • ,
  • Lisa Maher

      Affiliations

    • Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology and Prevention Program, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology and Prevention Program, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9385 0900; fax: +61 2 9385 0920.
    • ,
  • on behalf of the collaboration of Australian Needle and Syringe Programs

      Affiliations

    • The collaboration of Australian Needle and Syringe Programs (2009): ACON Hunter; Albury CHC; Barwon Health Service; Biala NSP; Cairns NSP; Central Access Service; Central Coast Harm Reduction Services; Clarence CHC; DASSA; Directions ACT; First Step Program; Health ConneXions; Health Information Exchange; Hindmarsh Centre; Hunter Harm Reduction Services; Inner Space; Kirketon Road Centre; Kobi House; Northcote NSP; North Coast Harm Reduction Services; North Richmond CHC; Northern Territory AIDS Council; NUAA; Nunkuwarrin Yunti CHC; QUIHN NSP Services; REPIDU; Salvation Army Launceston; SAVIVE CNP Services; SHARPS; Sydney West NSP Services; TasCHARD NSP Services; Townsville ATODS; WA AIDS Council; WASUA and West Moreton NSP.

Received 3 December 2009 ,Revised 7 April 2010 ,Accepted 20 April 2010.

References 

  1. Alter MJ, Moyer LA. The importance of preventing hepatitis C virus infection among injection drug users in the United States. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Human Retrovirology. 1998;18(Suppl. 1):S6–10
  2. Bourgois P, Prince B, Moss A. The everyday violence of hepatitis C among young women who inject drugs in San Francisco. Human Organization. 2004;63(3):253–264
  3. Brown K, Crofts N. Health care costs of a continuing epidemic of hepatitis C virus infection among injecting drug users. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 1998;22(3 Suppl.):384–388
  4. Butler T, Spencer J, Cui J, Vickery K, Zou J, Kaldor J. Seroprevalence of markers for hepatitis B, C and G in male and female prisoners—NSW, 1996. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 1999;23(4):377–384
  5. Choi Y, Harachi TW, Catalano RF. Neighborhoods, family, and substance use: Comparisons of the relations across racial and ethnic groups. Social Service Review. 2006;80(4):675–704
  6. Crofts N, Louie R, Rosenthal D, Jolley D. The first hit: Circumstances surrounding initiation into injecting. Addiction. 1996;91(8):1187–1196
  7. Crofts N, Stewart T, Hearne P, Ping XY, Breshkin AM, Locarnini SA. Spread of bloodborne viruses among Australian prison entrants. BMJ. 1995;310(6975):285–288
  8. Cruz MF, Mantsios A, Ramos R, Case P, Brouwer KC, Ramos ME, et al. A qualitative exploration of gender in the context of injection drug use in two US-Mexico border cities. AIDS Behaviour. 2007;11(2):253–262
  9. Davies AG, Dominy NJ, Peters AD, Richardson AM. Gender differences in HIV risk behaviour of injecting drug users in Edinburgh. AIDS Care. 1996;8(5):517–527
  10. Day CA, Topp L, Iversen J, Maher L. Blood-borne virus prevalence and risk among steroid injectors: Results from the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2008;27(5):559–561
  11. Dore GJ, Law M, MacDonald M, Kaldor JM. Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Australia. Journal of Clinical Virology. 2003;26(2):171–184
  12. Evans JL, Hahn JA, Page-Shafer K, Lum PJ, Stein ES, Davidson PJ, et al. Gender differences in sexual and injection risk behavior among active young injection drug users in San Francisco (the UFO Study). Journal of Urban Health. 2003;80(1):137–146
  13. Frajzyngier V, Neaigus A, Gyarmathy VA, Miller M, Friedman SR. Gender differences in injection risk behaviors at the first injection episode. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2007;89(2–3):145–152
  14. Garfein RS, Doherty MC, Monterroso ER, Thomas DL, Nelson KE, Vlahov D. Prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus infection among young adult injection drug users. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Human Retrovirology. 1998;18(Suppl. 1):S11–19
  15. Grebely J, Raffa JD, Lai C, Krajden M, Conway B, Tyndall MW. Factors associated with spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus among illicit drug users. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2007;21(7):447–451
  16. Guy RJ, McDonald AM, Bartlett MJ, Murray JC, Giele CM, Davey TM, et al. HIV diagnoses in Australia: Diverging epidemics within a low-prevalence country. Medical Journal of Australia. 2007;187(8):437–440
  17. Hagan H, Des Jarlais DC, Stern R, Lelutiu-Weinberger C, Scheinmann R, Strauss S, et al. HCV synthesis project: Preliminary analyses of HCV prevalence in relation to age and duration of injection. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2007;18(5):341–351
  18. Hagan H, Thiede H, Des Jarlais DC. Hepatitis C virus infection among injection drug users: Survival analysis of time to seroconversion. Epidemiology. 2004;15(5):543–549
  19. Hagan H, Thiede H, Weiss NS, Hopkins SG, Duchin JS, Alexander ER. Sharing of drug preparation equipment as a risk factor for hepatitis C. American Journal of Public Health. 2001;91(1):42–46
  20. Hahn JA, Page-Shafer K, Lum PJ, Bourgois P, Stein E, Evans JL, et al. Hepatitis C virus seroconversion among young injection drug users: Relationships and risks. Journal of Infectious Disease. 2002;186(11):1558–1564
  21. Latkin CA, Hua W, Forman VL. The relationship between social network characteristics and exchanging sex for drugs or money among drug users in Baltimore, MD, USA. International Journal of STD AIDS. 2003;14(11):770–775
  22. Lidman C, Norden L, Kaberg M, Kall K, Franck J, Aleman S, et al. Hepatitis C infection among injection drug users in Stockholm Sweden: Prevalence and gender. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease. 2009;1–6
  23. MacDonald M, Crofts N, Kaldor J. Transmission of hepatitis C virus: Rates, routes, and cofactors. Epidemiological Review. 1996;18(2):137–148
  24. MacDonald M, Wodak AD, Ali R, Crofts N, Cunningham PH, Dolan KA, et al. HIV prevalence and risk behaviour in needle exchange attenders: A national study. The Collaboration of Australian Needle Exchanges. Medical Journal of Australia. 1997;166(5):237–240
  25. MacDonald MA, Wodak AD, Dolan KA, van Beek I, Cunningham PH, Kaldor JM. Hepatitis C virus antibody prevalence among injecting drug users at selected needle and syringe programs in Australia, 1995–1997. Collaboration of Australian NSPs. Medical Journal of Australia. 2000;172(2):57–61
  26. MacRae R, Aalto E. Gendered power dynamics and HIV risk in drug-using sexual relationships. AIDS Care. 2000;12(4):505–515
  27. Maher L. Sexed work: Gender, race, and resistance in a Brooklyn drug market. Oxford: Clarendon Press; 1997;
  28. Maher L, Li J, Jalaludin B, Chant KG, Kaldor JM. High hepatitis C incidence in new injecting drug users: A policy failure?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 2007;31(1):30–35
  29. Micallef JM, Kaldor JM, Dore GJ. Spontaneous viral clearance following acute hepatitis C infection: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Journal of Viral Hepatitis. 2006;13(1):34–41
  30. Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS Sexual Health and Hepatitis . Hepatitis C virus projections working group: Estimates and projections of the Hepatitis C virus epidemic in Australia 2006. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW; 2006;
  31. Montgomery SB, Hyde J, De Rosa CJ, Rohrbach LA, Ennett S, Harvey SM, et al. Gender differences in HIV risk behaviors among young injectors and their social network members. American Journal of Drug Alcohol and Abuse. 2002;28(3):453–475
  32. Nagasue N, Kohno H. Hepatocellular carcinoma and sex hormones. HPB Surgery. 1992;6(1):1–6
  33. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research . Australian NSP Survey National Data Report 1995–2002. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales; 2003;
  34. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research . HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Report 2008. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW; 2008;
  35. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research . Australian NSP Survey National Data Report 2004–2008. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW; 2009;
  36. Page K, Hahn JA, Evans J, Shiboski S, Lum P, Delwart E, et al. Acute hepatitis C virus infection in young adult injection drug users: A prospective study of incident infection, resolution, and reinfection. Journal of Infectious Disease. 2009;200(8):1216–1226
  37. Rhodes T, Quirk A. Drug users’ sexual relationships and the social organisation of risk: The sexual relationship as a site of risk management. Social Service Review. 1998;46(2):157–169
  38. Sherman SG, Latkin CA, Gielen AC. Social factors related to syringe sharing among injecting partners: A focus on gender. Substance Use and Misuse. 2001;36(14):2113–2136
  39. Stafford J, Sindicich N, Burns L, Cassar J, Cogger S, de Graaff B, et al. Australian drug trends 2008: Findings from the illicit drug reporting system (IDRS). Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales; 2008;
  40. Strathdee SA, Lozada R, Pollini RA, Brouwer KC, Mantsios A, Abramovitz DA, et al. Individual, social, and environmental influences associated with HIV infection among injection drug users in Tijuana, Mexico. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. 2008;47(3):369–376
  41. Sy T, Jamal MM. Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. International Journal of Medical Science. 2006;3(2):41–46
  42. Topp L, Iversen J, Wand H, Day C, Kaldor J, Maher L. Representativeness of injecting drug users who participate in HIV surveillance: Results from Australia's Needle and Syringe Program Survey. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. 2008;47(5):632–638
  43. Unger J, Kipke MD, De Rosa CJ, Hyde J, Ritt-Olsen A, Montgomery SB. Needle-sharing among young IV drug users and their social network members: The influence of the injection partner's characteristics on HIV risk behavior. Addictive Behaviors. 2006;31(9):1607–1618
  44. Villano SA, Vlahov D, Nelson KE, Lyles CM, Cohn S, Thomas DL. Incidence and risk factors for hepatitis C among injection drug users in Baltimore, Maryland. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1997;35(12):3274–3277
  45. Wands J. Hepatocellular carcinoma and sex. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;357(19):1974–1976

PII: S0955-3959(10)00072-1

doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2010.04.004

International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 21, Issue 6 , Pages 471-476 , November 2010

Article Tools