Seropositivity of Anti-HCV in Intravenous drug abusers

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: From 1980s the methamphetamine(phillopon) was suddenly spread to our country and it becomes a serious social problem. Although the proportion of transfusion associated hepatitis C declined after introduction of Anti-HCV assay as screening test of blood donors, the overall prevalence of hepatitis C has remained the same, primarily because of increase of the proportion of hepatitis C patients among intravenous drug abusers. So we studied about prevalence of Anti-HCV, and other viral infectious disease transmission by intravenous drug abuse. METHODS: Total 202 drug abusers who had been admitted to Taegu Medical Center in 1994-1996 were tested for the presence of Anti-HCV. Epidemiologic data and histories related to drug use were obtained, as were serum test for hepatitis B, aminotransferase, HIV. RESULTS: The overall seropositivity of anti-HCV was 79.2%. Patients In HCV positive group were significant old age(34.0 yrs) and had long duration of injection(3.0 yrs) and the number of patient who had elevated aminotransferase level were significantly more than HCV negative group(p<0.05). No significant difference in sex, prevalence of HBs Ag and Anti HBc were observated between HCV positive group and negative group. The prevalence of Anti HBc was 52.1% and HBs Ag was 4.2%, but anyone was not detected for AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: The seropositivity of Anti-HCV in intravenous drug users in Taegu, Korea was 79.2%, comparable to that in Europe and U.S.A. This finding suggest that its time to hurry up for medical and public walfare service personal to concern and education of drug abusers, and inview of preventive medical care the need of general public information and education is pressing.