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A Yale University research team
reported identifying a geographical dimension of risk factors common to HIV and
hepatitis C virus (HCV) that may influence surveillance, prevention, and
healthcare delivery for people coinfected with these viruses. A growing number
of people in the US Northeast have both HIV and HCV, the most common chronic
viral infections in the nation. Most assessments underestimate HIV and HCV
prevalence, because homeless and incarcerated individuals are underrepresented
in surveys.
To reach these underrepresented
populations, the Yale team studied data collected from 8,300 people who were
screened for HCV and HIV at a community healthcare van—a mobile clinic—in New
Haven, Conn. To single out the risk factors for each virus and for coinfection,
the researchers correlated risk factors and Arc GIS mapping techniques.
Of the 8,300 patients, 10 percent
had HCV, 8 percent had HIV, and slightly more than 25 percent had HIV and HCV
coinfection. The study identified older age and crack cocaine use as risk
factors for both HCV and HIV, and for HCV/HIV coinfection. HCV was associated
with a history of interpersonal violence and being Hispanic, while HIV
infection was linked to having had syphilis. HCV/HIV coinfection also was more
likely among men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and those with
less than a high school education.
Dr. Jamie Morano and Dr. Frederick
Altice, authors of the study, stated that the “synergy of unique risk factors”
pointed to the need for distinct models of treatment delivery since these
patients rarely use traditional medical care.
The full report, “The Burgeoning
HIV/HCV Syndemic in the Urban Northeast: HCV, HIV, and HIV/HCV Coinfection in
an Urban Setting,” was published online in the journal PLoS One (2013;
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064321).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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