Analysis of drug-related infectious diseases in people who inject drugs - Pilsen Region, 2003-2018.

objectivesThe aim of the study is to analyse drug-related infectious diseases (DRID) rates for people who inject drugs (PWID) in the Pilsen Region in order to identify the main determiners of infection risk and also to provide a foundation for comparison between this region and the others in the Czech Republic.

methodsIn a descriptive cross-sectional study, we analysed the Pilsen Region's data on PWID. The data was transcribed from the 2003 to 2018 internal database of the Ulice Outreach Programme. In addition to the data regarding the testing of DRID, we analysed commercial sex work (CSW) and the PWID's duration of drug use, age and current address. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, primarily employing logistic regression (i.e., backward elimination method) to explore predictors of seropositivity. Moreover, we calculated its prevalence from an epidemiological perspective.

resultsIn total, 384 PWID were tested, from which 54.7% were males, and 84.1% were from Pilsen. The average age for initiation of using drug was 19.37 years. The most used drug was methamphetamine (64.8%), 77 women (20.1%) were reported to be CSW. The prevalence of DRID was as follows: hepatitis C virus (HCV) 37.24%, syphilis 1.82%, hepatitis B virus (HBV) 0.78%, and HIV infection 0.26%. The analysis showed that men had a lower risk of syphilis than women. Individuals who started their drug use via injection had a 1.365-times higher risk of DRID in comparison to those who initiated intravenous drug use later in their drug-using lives. We identified a significant association between the drug type and the risk of HCV infection: the main predictor of seropositivity was the use of fentanyl, which posed a 1.930-times higher risk than in the case of methamphetamine.

conclusionsThis study is the first descriptive cross-sectional study implemented in the Pilsen Region in the Czech Republic with a focus on the subpopulation of PWID with individual data. A high prevalence of HCV infection still persists but the prevalence of HBV and HIV infections in this study (and generally in the Czech Republic) is relatively low compared to foreign studies. Syphilis is not closely associated with injecting-drug use, but rather with the sexual behaviour of the people who use drugs intravenously. The most important predictor of seropositivity for syphilis was CSW. We also found the duration of being a CSW to be significant influence. The women who had been CSWs for less than 5 years had a significantly lower risk of syphilis than those who had prostituted for more than 5 years.