Gender differences in clinical manifestations before AIDS diagnosis among injecting drug users

We compared incidence rates of self-reported HIV-related symptoms and illnesses, verified clinical manifestations and findings on physical examination between female and male injecting drug users (IDU) stratified by HIV serostatus in the Amsterdam cohort study on the natural history of HIV infection. HIV-positive female IDU (n = 100) reported a higher frequency of several symptoms and illnesses than male IDU (n = 139). Symptoms were reported more chronically by women compared to men, while clinical manifestations were reported by a greater proportion of women affected by these illnesses compared to men. In HIV-negative IDU (163 women and 232 men) the incidence rates were lower compared to HIV-positives, and a similar gender effect on reported symptoms and illnesses was found. Adjusting for biological, behavioral, demographic and study related variables did not change the gender effect on clinical manifestations substantially. We conclude that the gender effect among HIV-positive IDU was not caused by a differential impact of HIV infection on the incidence of the studied clinical manifestations among female and male IDU, but reflects a higher morbidity of female IDU compared to male IDU.     

2012-2015年新疆昌吉州地区吸毒人群艾滋病相关性行为及吸毒行为调查分析

目的通过了解昌吉州地区吸毒人群艾滋病相关性行为及吸毒行为,探讨建立新型的社区艾滋病防治模式。方法对2012-2015年昌吉州部分吸毒人群展开调查。结果吸毒者平均年龄33.08岁,77.25%的吸毒者发生过性行为,仅有23.07%的人采取了保护性措施,男性安全套的使用率(11.91%))低于女性(34.71%);54.89%的吸毒者近期注射过毒品;40.96%的人注射毒品时与他人共用针具。结论社区艾滋病防治体系可有效减少吸毒人群感染HIV风险和再传播风险,降低高危行为。     

Patterns of drug use and associated harms among rural injecting drug users: comparisons with metropolitan injecting drug users

OBJECTIVE: Given the harms associated with injecting drug use to both individuals and community and the paucity of such data from rural areas, the study aimed to compare: patterns of drug use, harms, and service access and utilisation among rural and metropolitan injecting drug users (IDU). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey, using interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and sixty-four rural and 96 metropolitan IDU from seven different New South Wales Area Health Services, recruited through needle and syringe programs (NSPs), snowballing techniques and advertisement. RESULTS: Age, gender, education and employment were similar for rural and metropolitan participants. Both samples reported use of a range of drugs, but rural participants were less likely than metropolitan participants to report daily heroin use (2% vs 10%), but more likely to report having injected morphine (50% vs 21%) in the last six months. Similar proportions reported using a needle/syringe after another person. Rural participants were less likely to report use of NSPs (36% vs 80%) and reported a number of barriers to NSP access and also to drug treatment services. Rural participants reported a significantly longer period of time between blood-borne virus testing. CONCLUSION: Samples of rural IDU are similar to metropolitan, although report some differences in patterns of drug use. Service provision, including access to new injecting equipment, blood-borne virus testing and drug treatment was found to cause considerable problems for rural IDU. These issues warrant further consideration.     

Media sources of HIV/AIDS information in injecting drug users

Abstract: We report on media habits of 797 members of a sample of 1245 injecting drug users interviewed in Sydney, Australia. While preferred hours of television viewing and radio listening were similar to those of the general population, the preferred channels and stations were different. These findings could assist in targeting injecting drug users with information about HIV/AIDS prevention. However as the self-regulatory advertising process has constrained broadcast and publication of overt messages directed at homosexual and bisexual men, similar restrictions may prevent optimal mass media approaches to educating this other important group at risk of HIV infection.     

新疆静脉吸毒者HIV-1原发耐药分析

目的研究新疆伊犁州经静脉吸毒(IDU)感染人类免疫缺陷病毒1型(HIV-1)未经抗病毒治疗者原发耐药株的流行情况。方法于2009年12月—2010年3月收集新疆伊犁州77例IDU HIV-1感染者血样及流行病学信息,提取血浆病毒RNA,逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)和巢式PCR方法扩增pol基因区1.3 kb片段并测序;构建系统进化树分析病毒亚型,提交斯坦福大学HIV耐药数据库进行耐药性分析。结果 77例感染者中,76例(98.7%)为CRF07_BC亚型,1例(1.3%)为B亚型;蛋白酶区未检出主要耐药突变,耐药相关次要突变主要出现在第10、58和71位;其中71位氨基酸突变发生频率最高(11/77),其次为第10位(6/77)和第58位(3/77);第71位氨基酸由野生型的A突变为V者7例,突变为T者3例,突变为I者1例;第10位氨基酸由野生型的L突变为I者5例,突变为V者1例;第58位氨基酸由野生型的Q突变为E者3例;1例病例逆转录酶区同时存在Y181C及M184V耐药突变。结论新疆伊犁州未接受抗病毒治疗的IDU感染者中检出原发耐药株,原发耐药率处于较低水平,但应加强该地区IDU感染者的耐药监测,防止耐药株产生和流行。     

同伴教育对静脉注射毒品者高危险行为的影响

目的通过同伴教育减少静脉注射毒品者感染和传播艾滋病病毒的高危险行为.方法在昆明市强制戒毒所和劳教戒毒所的戒毒人员中开展为期两年的减少伤害同伴教育活动,在干预前后进行两次随机抽样调查,并在干预后开展焦点问题小组讨论和个案随访,比较干预前后高危险行为变化,评估干预效果.结果基线和干预后分别随机抽取306人和418人进行调查.比较干预前后,共用注射器由68.3%下降到62.0%(2=2.61,P＜0.01),从来不清洗注射器从3.3%上升到15.8%(x2=19.41,P＜0.01),将用过的注射器丢弃到垃圾桶内的比例从58.4%上升到81.8%(X2=40.23,P＜0.01).对34名戒毒人员进行跟踪随访,67.6%不再共用注射器,无人在性生活中使用避孕套.结论在戒毒所内开展同伴教育活动减少静脉注射毒品者危险行为的效果是有限的.为遏制艾滋病在这一人群中的快速传播,需要尝试更为有效的干预措施.     

An outbreak of acute hepatitis B infection among injecting drug users in Inverclyde, Scotland

This large outbreak of acute hepatitis B infection among injecting drug users (IDUs) was precipitated by an increase in injecting heroin use in Inverclyde in the West of Scotland, between 1997 and 1999. Ninety-two cases of hepatitis B infection in residents of Inverclyde were reported to Argyll and Clyde Health Board from January 1996 to December 1999. An investigation of risk factors found 87% (80/92) of the cases were IDUs, of whom four-fifths were men. Fifty six per cent of cases were aged 20-29 years old and 12% were aged 16-19 years old. Further investigations among this close community of young and relatively inexperienced IDUs revealed that many admitted to sharing injecting equipment particularly spoons, water and filters. Only a minority had been using local needle exchange facilities in the area. After public consultation a second needle exchange was opened in 1998 staffed by a dedicated needle exchange development worker who has continued to develop harm reduction services locally.     

Mortality among injecting drug users: a critical reappraisal.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to quantify all cause mortality among injecting drug users. DESIGN--This was a retrospective analysis of 1989 data on injecting drug users and mortality obtained from three independent agencies: the Procurator Fiscal's Office, the General Register Office, and the Scottish HIV-test register. SETTING--Greater Glasgow, Scotland. SUBJECTS--Drug injectors, estimated population 9424. MAIN RESULTS--81 names were found using the three sources to identify deaths. After removing duplicates, 51 deaths were found. This represented a mortality rate of 0.54% in the estimated population. Among female injectors the mortality rate was 0.85%, significantly higher than the rate of 0.42% among male injectors (95% CI for the true difference in mortality rates between female and male injectors was 0.31%-0.55%). Over 90% of deaths were attributed to overdose or suicide. Although AIDS caused only one death, 19% of cases (5/27) whose HIV antibody status could be ascertained were positive. The mortality rate among HIV positive injectors (3.8%) was significantly higher than among HIV negative injectors (0.49%). CONCLUSIONS--Comprehensive coverage using three data sources revealed a far greater annual number of all cause deaths among injectors than would have been expected from previous research. The observed mortality rate was lower than in previous studies where the denominators used to calculate rates had an element of underenumeration. For the foreseeable future it is unlikely that AIDS will have much impact on mortality among injectors in Glasgow, because of the low prevalence of HIV infection among injectors in the city, and because HIV positive injectors are dying for reasons other than AIDS; rather, overdose and suicide will continue to be the main causes of death.     

The hepatitis C virus epidemic among injecting drug users.

Given the economic and health costs of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and the ongoing transmission within the injecting drug user (IDU) population, there is a need for improved understanding of HCV epidemiology within this risk group. We employed a recently developed method based on phylogenetic analysis to infer HCV epidemic history and to provide the first estimates of the rate of spread of subtypes 1a and 3a circulating within injecting drug user populations. The data indicates that HCV subtype 1a entered the IDU population on at least three separate occasions. Both subtypes demonstrate exponential population growth during the 20th century, with a doubling time of 7-8 years. The results provide a baseline for prediction of the future course of the HCV epidemic, and its likely response to transmission control policies.     

AIDS incidence and mortality in injecting drug users: the AjUDE-Brasil II Project

This paper presents AIDS incidence and mortality among injecting drug users (IDUs) reached by the AjUDE-Brasil II Project. From a cross-sectional survey, 478 IDUs were interviewed in three Brazilian cities: Porto Alegre, S?o José do Rio Preto, and Itajaí. The cohort was followed up in the Brazilian surveillance database for AIDS and mortality during 2000 and 2001. AIDS incidence was 1.1 cases per 100 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.8 deaths per 100 person-years. AIDS cases only occurred in IDUs who reported ever having shared injecting equipment. Female gender (RR = 5.30), homelessness (RR = 6.16), and report of previous sexual relations with same-sex partners (RR = 6.21) were associated with AIDS. Deaths occurred only among males. Homelessness (RR = 3.00), lack of income (RR = 2.65), HIV seropositive status (RR = 4.52), and no history of incarceration (RR = 3.71) were also associated with death. These findings support evidence that gender and socioeconomic conditions are both determinants of morbidity and mortality in Brazilian IDUs.     

Patterns of drug use among a sample of drug users and injecting drug users attending a General Practice in Iran

Aim  

This study aimed to examine drug use, drug treatment history and risk behaviour among a sample of Iranian drug users seeking treatment through a general practice clinic in Iran.     

The social structural production of HIV risk among injecting drug users

There is increasing appreciation of the need to understand how social and structural factors shape HIV risk. Drawing on a review of recently published literature, we seek to describe the social structural production of HIV risk associated with injecting drug use. We adopt an inclusive definition of the HIV 'risk environment' as the space, whether social or physical, in which a variety of factors exogenous to the individual interact to increase vulnerability to HIV. We identify the following factors as critical in the social structural production of HIV risk associated with drug injecting: cross-border trade and transport links; population movement and mixing; urban or neighbourhood deprivation and disadvantage; specific injecting environments (including shooting galleries and prisons); the role of peer groups and social networks; the relevance of 'social capital' at the level of networks, communities and neighbourhoods; the role of macro-social change and political or economic transition; political, social and economic inequities in relation to ethnicity, gender and sexuality; the role of social stigma and discrimination in reproducing inequity and vulnerability; the role of policies, laws and policing; and the role of complex emergencies such as armed conflict and natural disasters. We argue that the HIV risk environment is a product of interplay in which social and structural factors intermingle but where political-economic factors may play a predominant role. We therefore emphasise that much of the most needed 'structural HIV prevention' is unavoidably political in that it calls for community actions and structural changes within a broad framework concerned to alleviate inequity in health, welfare and human rights.