Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34001145›Full record

ArticleHarm reduction journal2021

Identification and treatment of viral hepatitis C in persons who use drugs: a prospective, multicenter outreach study in Flanders, Belgium.

Dana Busschots, Cécile Kremer, Rob Bielen, Özgür Muhammet Koc, Leen Heyens, Eefje Dercon, Rita Verrando, Tessa Windelinckx, Griet Maertens, Stefan Bourgeois and 3 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Harm reduction journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04363411 (Reaching Out to the UNdiagnosed People Infected With Blood Borne Viral Infections), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT04363411 nacompletednot on this map

Reaching Out to the UNdiagnosed People Infected With Blood Borne Viral Infections

TypeinterventionalSponsorHasselt UniversityRan2018 to 2019Enrolled425ConditionsHepatitis B, Hepatitis c, Human Immunodeficiency VirusArmsfinger prick screening for BBV infections and questionnaires by outreaching methodology
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

Dana BusschotsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium. dana.busschots@uhasselt.be.ORCID 0000-0003-0887-4119
Cécile KremerInteruniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics (I-Biostat), Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Rob BielenFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Özgür Muhammet KocFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Leen HeyensFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Eefje DerconzorGGroep Zin Limburg, Hasselt, Belgium.
Rita VerrandozorGGroep Zin Limburg, Hasselt, Belgium.
Tessa WindelinckxFree Clinic Ngo, Antwerp, Belgium.
Griet MaertensFree Clinic Ngo, Antwerp, Belgium.
Stefan BourgeoisDepartment of Gastroenterology, ZNA Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Niel HensInteruniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics (I-Biostat), Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Catharina MatheïFree Clinic Ngo, Antwerp, Belgium.
Geert RobaeysFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg · BEProvince of Antwerp · BEMaastricht University Medical Centre · NLHasselt University · BEUniversity of Antwerp · BEZiekenhuisnetwerk Antwerpen Stuivenberg · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTargeted screening for hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is not yet widely executed in Belgium. When performed in people who use drugs (PWUD), it is mainly focused on those receiving opiate agonist therapy (OAT). We wanted to reach out to a population of difficult to reach PWUD not on centralized OAT, using non-invasive screening as a bridge to re-integration in medical care supported by facilitated referral to a specialist.

methodsThis was a prospective, multicenter cohort study in PWUD not enrolled in a centralized OAT program in a community-based facility in Limburg or OAT program in a community-based facility in Antwerp, Belgium, from October 2018 until October 2019. Two study teams recruited participants using an outreach method at 18 different locations. Participants were tested for HCV antibodies (Ab) by finger prick, and risk factors were assessed through a face-to-face questionnaire. Univariate analyses were used to assess the association between HCV Ab and each risk factor separately. A generalized linear mixed model was used to investigate the association between the different risk factors and HCV.

resultsIn total, 425 PWUD were reached with a mean age of 41.6 ± 10.8, and 78.8% (335/425) were men. HCV Ab prevalence was 14.8% (63/425). Fifty-six (88.9%) PWUD were referred, of whom 37 (66.1%) were linked to care and tested for HCV RNA. Twenty-nine (78.4%) had a chronic HCV infection. Treatment was initiated in 17 (58.6%) patients. The adjusted odds for HCV Ab were highest in those with unstable housing 6 months before inclusion (p < .001, AOR 8.2 CI 95% 3.2-23.3) and in those who had ever shared paraphernalia for intravenous drug use (p < .001, AOR 6.2 CI 95% 2.5-16.0).

conclusionsAn important part tested positive for HCV. Treatment could be started in more than half of the chronically infected referred and tested positive for HCV-RNA. Micro-elimination is necessary to achieve the World Health Organization goals by 2030. However, it remains crucial to screen and link a broader group of PWUD to care than to focus solely on those who inject drugs.

trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov NCT04363411, Registered 27 April 2020-Retrospectively registered. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04363411?term=NCT04363411&draw=2&rank=1.

Indexed as

Hepatitis CPharmaceutical PreparationsSubstance Abuse, IntravenousBelgiumCohort StudiesHumansMaleProspective StudiesPharmaceutical PreparationsHepatitis C virusHigh-income countryLinkage to careOutreachPeople who use drugs

Identifiers

PMID34001145
PMCPMC8130277
OpenAlexW3160845816

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.