SynthesisPloS one2014
Estimating the number of persons who inject drugs in the united states by meta-analysis to calculate national rates of HIV and hepatitis C virus infections.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 152 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
152 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Global, regional, and national estimates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection incidence among people who inject drugs and number of new annual HCV infections attributable to injecting drug use: a multi-stage analysis.The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Pooled it
- The status of hepatitis C virus infection among people who inject drugs in the Middle East and North Africa.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2020Pooled it
- The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Iran: Systematic review and meta-analyses.Scientific reports · 2018Pooled it
- Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among HIV+ men who have sex with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of STD & AIDS · 2017Pooled it
- Higher incidence of HCV in females compared to males who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2017Pooled it
- Estimating the Number of Heterosexual Persons in the United States to Calculate National Rates of HIV Infection.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- An Evaluation of Opioid Use in Black Communities: A Rapid Review of the Literature.Harvard review of psychiatryPooled it
- Research Synthesis, HIV Prevention Response, and Public Health: CDC's HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Project.Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)Pooled it
- A Pilot Study of a Mobile App to Support HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use Stimulants.AIDS and behavior · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Examining the efficacy of a computer facilitated HIV prevention tool in drug court.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2016Trial
- Review
- Drug Use and Social Connectivity Related to Hepatitis C Infection Among Rural People Who Use Drugs.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2026Article
- Incarceration history and HIV testing among people who inject drugs in the Boston metro area: a pooled cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Integrating HIV prevention services into care settings for people with opioid use disorder (OUD): a study protocol for implementation strategy development and modeling.Implementation science communications · 2025Article
- Estimating the population size of people who inject drugs in Canada, 2021.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2025Review
- Comparison of Outcomes of Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration vs Tricuspid Valve Surgery in Drug Use-Associated Endocarditis of the Tricuspid Valve.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Cutaneous Abscess Prevalence and Risk Factors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Denver, Colorado.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Common Bacterial Infections in Persons Who Inject Drugs.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
92 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInjection drug use provides an efficient mechanism for transmitting bloodborne viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Effective targeting of resources for prevention of HIV and HCV infection among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is based on knowledge of the population size and disparity in disease burden among PWID. This study estimated the number of PWID in the United States to calculate rates of HIV and HCV infection.
methodsWe conducted meta-analysis using data from 4 national probability surveys that measured lifetime (3 surveys) or past-year (3 surveys) injection drug use to estimate the proportion of the United States population that has injected drugs. We then applied these proportions to census data to produce population size estimates. To estimate the disease burden among PWID by calculating rates of disease we used lifetime population size estimates of PWID as denominators and estimates of HIV and HCV infection from national HIV surveillance and survey data, respectively, as numerators. We calculated rates of HIV among PWID by gender-, age-, and race/ethnicity.
resultsLifetime PWID comprised 2.6% (95% confidence interval: 1.8%-3.3%) of the U.S. population aged 13 years or older, representing approximately 6,612,488 PWID (range: 4,583,188-8,641,788) in 2011. The population estimate of past-year PWID was 0.30% (95% confidence interval: 0.19 %-0.41%) or 774,434 PWID (range: 494,605-1,054,263). Among lifetime PWID, the 2011 HIV diagnosis rate was 55 per 100,000 PWID; the rate of persons living with a diagnosis of HIV infection in 2010 was 2,147 per 100,000 PWID; and the 2011 HCV infection rate was 43,126 per 100,000 PWID.
conclusionEstimates of the number of PWID and disease rates among PWID are important for program planning and addressing health inequities.
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