Factors that influence an HIV coinfected patient's decision to start hepatitis C treatment

Perceptions Towards HCV Treatment with Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs): A Qualitative Analysis with Persons with HIV/HCV Co-infection Who Delay or Refuse Treatment

In the United States, approximately 25% of people with HIV (PWH) are co-infected with hepatitis C (HCV). Since 2014, highly effective and well-tolerated direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have revolutionized HCV treatment. Uptake of DAAs by people with HIV/HCV co-infection has improved but remains suboptimal due to system, provider, and patient-level barriers. To explore patient-level issues by better understanding their attitudes towards DAA treatment, we conducted qualitative interviews with 21 persons with HIV/HCV co-infection who did not consent to DAA treatment or delayed treatment for at least 1 year after diagnosis. We found PWH perceived DAA treatment barriers and facilitators on multiple levels of the social-ecological environment: the individual (HCV disease and treatment literacy), interpersonal (peer influence), institutional (media and healthcare provider relationship), and structural levels (treatment cost and adherence support). Recommendations to improve DAA treatment uptake include HCV-treatment adherence support, HCV disease and treatment literacy training (particularly for substance use and DAA treatment interactions), and encouraging PWH who have successfully completed DAA treatment to speak with their peers.

The role of social capital in facilitating hepatitis C treatment scale-up within a treatment-as-prevention trial in the male prison setting

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a global public health concern, particularly in the prison setting where prevalence is substantially higher than in the general population. Direct-acting antivirals have changed the treatment landscape, allowing for treatment scale-up efforts potentially sufficient to achieve prevention of onward transmission (treatment-as-prevention). The Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with hepatitis C (SToP-C) study was the first trial to examine the efficacy of HCV treatment-as-prevention in the prison setting. Social capital is a social resource which has been found to influence health outcomes. This qualitative study sought to understand the role of social capital within an HCV treatment-as-prevention trial in the prison setting.

DESIGN

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were undertaken with participants recruited from the SToP-C study following HCV treatment completion (with cure).

SETTING

Three male correctional centres in New South Wales, Australia (including two maximum-security and one minimum-security).

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-three men in prison participated in semi-structured interviews.

MEASUREMENTS

Thematic analysis of transcripts was completed using a social capital framework, which enabled exploration of the ways in which bonding, bridging and linking social capital promoted or inhibited HCV treatment uptake within a treatment-as-prevention trial.

FINDINGS

Social capital fostered HCV treatment uptake within an HCV treatment-as-prevention trial in the prison setting. Bonding social capital encouraged treatment uptake and alleviated concerns of side effects, bridging social capital supported prison-wide treatment uptake, and linking social capital fostered trust in study personnel (including nurses and correctional officers), thereby enhancing treatment engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Social capital, including bonding, bridging and linking, can play an important role in hepatitis C treatment-as-prevention efforts within the male prison setting.

Perceptions of network based recruitment for hepatitis C testing and treatment among persons who inject drugs: a qualitative exploration

BACKGROUND

Social network interventions that take advantage of existing individual and group relationships may help overcome the significant patient, provider, and system level barriers that contribute to low hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID).

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 HCV antibody positive PWID (15 male, 5 female) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We utilized thematic analysis and employed both inductive and deductive coding techniques to assess perceptions of barriers and facilitators of social network interventions for HCV testing, linkage to care, and treatment among PWID.

RESULTS

PWID perceived a high prevalence of HCV within their social networks, especially within injection drug use networks. Overwhelmingly, participants reported a willingness to discuss HCV and provide informational, instrumental, and emotional support to their network members. Support included sharing knowledge, such as where and how to access HCV care, as well as sharing lived experiences about HCV treatment that could help peers build trust within networks. Participants who were already linked into HCV care had an increased understanding of using social network interventions to provide peer navigation, by accompanying network members to HCV related appointments. Across interviews, drug use related stigma and feeling undeserving of HCV treatment due to previous negative experiences accessing the health care system emerged as a major barrier to linkage to HCV treatment and cure. Undeservingness was often internalized and projected onto network members. To overcome this, participants supported access to low-barrier HCV treatment in alternative locations such as community-based or mobile clinics and drug treatment centers.

CONCLUSION

Social network based interventions have potential to increase HCV treatment uptake among PWID. To be successful, these interventions will need to train peers to share accurate information and personal experiences with HCV testing and treatment and enhance their ability to provide support to network members who face significant stigma related to both HCV and drug use.

HCV treatment barriers among HIV/HCV co-infected patients in the US: a qualitative study to understand low uptake among marginalized populations in the DAA era

BACKGROUND

Well-tolerated, highly effective HCV treatment, known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), is now recommended for all people living with HCV, providing the tools for HCV elimination. We sought to understand treatment barriers among low-income HIV/HCV coinfected patients and providers with the goal of increasing uptake.

METHODS

In 2014, we conducted 26 interviews with HIV/HCV co-infected patients and providers from a San Francisco clinic serving underinsured and publically-insured persons to explore barriers impacting treatment engagement and completion. Interview transcripts were coded, and a thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging patterns.

RESULTS

Conditions of poverty-specifically, meeting basic needs for food, shelter, and safety-undermined patient perceptions of self-efficacy to successfully complete HCV treatment programs. While patient participants expressed interest in HCV treatment, the perceived burden of taking daily medications without strong social support was an added challenge. This need for support contradicted provider assumptions that, due to the shorter-course regimens, support is unnecessary in the DAA era.

CONCLUSIONS

Interferon-free treatments alone are not sufficient to overcome social-structural barriers to HCV treatment and care among low-income HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Support for patients with unmet social needs may facilitate treatment initiation and completion, particularly among those in challenging socioeconomic situations.

Rationale and design of a randomized pragmatic trial of patient-centered models of hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: The HERO study

BACKGROUND

Although people who inject drugs (PWID) having the highest incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the US, HCV treatment is rarely provided to PWID due to assumptions about poor adherence and reinfection risk. As direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) rates of 95% or more, evidence-based strategies are urgently needed to demonstrate real-world effectiveness in marginalized patient populations such as PWID. The objectives of this study are: 1) to determine whether either of two patient-centered treatment models - patient navigation (PN) or modified directly observed therapy (mDOT) - results in more forward movement along the HCV care cascade including treatment initiation, adherence, and SVR; 2) using quantitative and qualitative methods, to understand factors associated with lack of treatment uptake, poor adherence (<80%), failure to achieve SVR, DAA resistance, and HCV reinfection.

METHODS

The HERO study is a multi-site, pragmatic randomized clinical trial conducted in eight states where 754 HCV-infected PWID were randomly assigned to either PN or mDOT.

CONCLUSIONS

This study addresses an urgent need for timely and accurate information on optimal models of care to promote HCV treatment initiation, adherence, treatment completion and SVR among PWID, as well as rates and factors associated with reinfection and resistance after treatment. This clinical trial has the potential to provide valuable information on how to reduce the burden of the HCV epidemic in PWID.

Transitioning from interferon-based to direct antiviral treatment options: A potential shift in barriers and facilitators of treatment initiation among people who use drugs?

BACKGROUND

Multiple barriers for accessing hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment were identified during the interferon-based (IFN) treatment era for people who inject drugs (PWID). Whether these barriers persist since the introduction of IFN-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents in Canada remains to be documented. This study examined temporal trends in HCV treatment initiation and associated factors during the transition from INF-based to all-oral DAA regimens.

METHODS

The study population was drawn from a prospective cohort of PWID in Montreal, Canada. At three-month/one-year intervals between 2011 and 2017, participants with chronic HCV infection completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, drug use and health service utilisation, including HCV treatment. Time-updated Cox multivariate regression models, stratified by DAA + INF (2011-2013) and all-oral DAA (2014-2017) availability periods, were conducted to examine associations between time to HCV treatment initiation and associated barriers and facilitators.

RESULTS

Of 308 participants (85% male, median age 42 [IQR: 33, 50]), 80 (26%) initiated HCV treatment during 915 person-years (PY). Incidence rates increased from 1.6 /100 PY (95%CI:0.9-2.6) in 2011 to 12.7 (10.6-15.1) in 2017 (p-trend = 0.0012). In multivariate analyses, visiting a primary care physician (2011-2013: aHR = 3.63[1.21-10.9]; 2014-2017: 2.52[1.10-5.77]) and frequent injection (0.23[0.05-0.99] and 0.49[0.24-0.99]) were consistently associated with treatment initiation. Participants aged >40 (2.27[1.24-4.13]), receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT) (2.17[1.19-3.94]), and reporting prior HCV treatment (3.00[1.75-5.15]) were more likely to initiate treatment in the all-oral DAA period.

CONCLUSION

Treatment initiation increased between 2011 and 2017, but still remains low among PWID. Primary care visiting was a key facilitator regardless of the period, while engagement in OAT and health services, indicated by prior HCV treatment, increased the likelihood of treatment initiation in the DAA era. These findings suggest that access to health services is essential but not enough to scale up treatment in this population.

Social capital strategies to enhance hepatitis C treatment awareness and uptake among men in prison

Prisoner populations are characterized by high rates of hepatitis C (HCV), up to thirty times that of the general population in Australia. Within Australian prisons, less than 1% of eligible inmates access treatment. Public health strategies informed by social capital could be important in addressing this inequality in access to HCV treatment. Twenty-eight male inmates participated in qualitative interviews across three correctional centres in New South Wales, Australia. All participants had recently tested as HCV RNA positive or were receiving HCV treatment. Analysis was conducted with participants including men with experiences of HCV treatment (n=10) (including those currently accessing treatment and those with a history of treatment) and those who were treatment naïve (n=18). Social capital was a resourceful commodity for inmates considering and undergoing treatment while in custody. Inmates were a valuable resource for information regarding HCV treatment, including personal accounts and reassurance (bonding social capital), while nurses a resource for the provision of information and care (linking social capital). Although linking social capital between inmates and nurses appeared influential in HCV treatment access, there remained opportunities for increasing linking social capital within the prison setting (such as nurse-led engagement within the prisons). Bonding and linking social capital can be valuable resources in promoting HCV treatment awareness, uptake and adherence. Peer-based programmes are likely to be influential in promoting HCV outcomes in the prison setting. Engagement in prisons, outside of the clinics, would enhance opportunities for linking social capital to influence HCV treatment outcomes.

Health Beliefs and Co-morbidities Associated with Appointment-Keeping Behavior Among HCV and HIV/HCV Patients

Appointment-keeping behavior is an important requisite for HCV linkage and treatment initiation. In this study we examine what impact hepatitis C (HCV) knowledge and attitudes has on appointment-keeping behavior among a cohort of HCV and HCV/HIV patients. Knowledge scores and attitude scales, obtained from a cross-sectional survey, were correlated with proportion of appointments kept 1 year prior to taking the survey. Independent risk factors for missing appointments were examined by multiple regression analysis. 292 HCV patients completed the survey, and 149 (51%) were co-infected with HIV. HCV patients kept 67.5 ± 17.4% of their total appointments and a similar proportion (67 ± 38.2) of Liver Clinic appointments, but they attended a higher proportion (73 ± 24.4) of Primary Care Clinic appointments. However, certain health beliefs, psychiatric illness, and HIV co-infection were independently associated with lower levels of appointment-keeping behavior. HCV knowledge was not associated with appointment-keeping behavior. Health beliefs, psychiatric illness, and HIV co-infection are associated with missing appointments, but no link between knowledge and appointment keeping behavior is apparent. In order to increase engagement into HCV care, HCV care coordination programs need to focus on addressing health beliefs and providing resources to those at highest risk for missing appointments.

Non-initiation of hepatitis C virus antiviral therapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus co-infection

AIM

To assess whether reasons for hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy non-initiation differentially affect racial and ethnic minorities with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV co-infection.

METHODS

Analysis included co-infected HCV treatment-naïve patients in the University of North Carolina CFAR HIV Clinical Cohort (January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2011). Medical records were abstracted to document non-modifiable medical (e.g., hepatic decompensation, advanced immunosuppression), potentially modifiable medical (e.g., substance abuse, severe depression, psychiatric illness), and non-medical (e.g., personal, social, and economic factors) reasons for non-initiation. Statistical differences in the prevalence of reasons for non-treatment between racial/ethnic groups were assessed using the two-tailed Fisher's exact test. Three separate regression models were fit for each reason category. Odds ratios and their 95%CIs (Wald's) were computed.

RESULTS

One hundred and seventy-one patients with HIV/HCV co-infection within the cohort met study inclusion. The study sample was racially and ethnically diverse; most patients were African-American (74%), followed by Caucasian (19%), and Hispanic/other (7%). The median age was 46 years (interquartile range = 39-50) and most patients were male (74%). Among the 171 patients, reasons for non-treatment were common among all patients, regardless of race/ethnicity (50% with ≥ 1 non-modifiable medical reason, 66% with ≥ 1 potentially modifiable medical reason, and 66% with ≥ 1 non-medical reason). There were no significant differences by race/ethnicity. Compared to Caucasians, African-Americans did not have increased odds of non-modifiable [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.47, 95%CI: 0.57-3.80], potentially modifiable (aOR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.25-2.09) or non-medical (aOR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.32-2.52) reasons for non-initiation.

CONCLUSION

Race/ethnicity alone is not predictive of reasons for HCV therapy non-initiation. Targeted interventions are needed to improve access to therapy for all co-infected patients, including minorities.

Qualitative analysis of patient-centered decision attributes associated with initiating hepatitis C treatment

BACKGROUND

In this era of a constantly changing landscape of antiviral treatment options for chronic viral hepatitis C (CHC), shared clinical decision-making addresses the need to engage patients in complex treatment decisions. However, little is known about the decision attributes that CHC patients consider when making treatment decisions. We identify key patient-centered decision attributes, and explore relationships among these attributes, to help inform the development of a future CHC shared decision-making aid.

METHODS

Semi-structured qualitative interviews with CHC patients at four Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals, in three comparison groups: contemplating CHC treatment at the time of data collection (Group 1), recently declined CHC treatment (Group 2), or recently started CHC treatment (Group 3). Participant descriptions of decision attributes were analyzed for the entire sample as well as by patient group and by gender.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine Veteran patients participated (21 males, eight females): 12 were contemplating treatment, nine had recently declined treatment, and eight had recently started treatment. Patients on average described eight (range 5-13) decision attributes. The attributes most frequently reported overall were: physical side effects (83%); treatment efficacy (79%), new treatment drugs in development (55%); psychological side effects (55%); and condition of the liver (52%), with some variation based on group and gender. Personal life circumstance attributes (such as availability of family support and the burden of financial responsibilities) influencing treatment decisions were also noted by all participants. Multiple decision attributes were interrelated in highly complex ways.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants considered numerous attributes in their CHC treatment decisions. A better understanding of these attributes that influence patient decision-making is crucial in order to inform patient-centered clinical approaches to care (such as shared decision-making augmented with relevant decision-making aids) that respond to patients' needs, preferences, and circumstances.

Hepatitis C and HIV Coinfection for Social Workers in Public Health, Medical and Substance Use Treatment Settings

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of liver disease and liver-related deaths among those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Due to recent pharmacologic advancements with direct acting antivirals, if detected and treated, HCV antiviral therapy can prevent liver disease progression and permanently cure coinfected patients of HCV. The objectives of this article are to inform public health social workers and social workers in medical and substance use treatment settings of the public health burden of HCV/HIV coinfection and to highlight state-of-the art pharmacologic advancements in HCV antiviral therapy.

Resolute efforts to cure hepatitis C: Understanding patients' reasons for completing antiviral treatment

Antiviral treatment for hepatitis C is usually difficult, demanding, and debilitating and has long offered modest prospects of successful cure. Most people who may need treatment have faced stigma of an illness associated with drug and alcohol misuse and thus may be deemed poor candidates for treatment, while completing a course of treatment typically calls for resolve and responsibility. Patients' efforts and their reasons for completing treatment have received scant attention in hepatitis C clinical policy discourse that instead focuses on problems of adherence and patients' expected failures. Thus, we conducted qualitative interviews with patients who had recently undertaken treatment to explore their reasons for completing antiviral treatment. Analysis of their narrative accounts identified four principal reasons: cure the infection, avoid a bad end, demonstrate the virtue of perseverance through a personal trial, and achieve personal rehabilitation. Their reasons reflect moral rationales that mark the social discredit ascribed to the infection and may represent efforts to restore creditable social membership. Their reasons may also reflect the selection processes that render some of the infected as good candidates for treatment, while excluding others. Explication of the moral context of treatment may identify opportunities to support patients' efforts in completing treatment, as well as illuminate the choices people with hepatitis C make about engaging in care.

Therapeutic potential of and treatment with boceprevir/telaprevir-based triple-therapy in HIV/chronic hepatitis C co-infected patients in a real-world setting

The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of telaprevir (TPV)/boceprevir (BOC)-based triple-therapy in a complete cohort of HIV/chronic hepatitis C co-infected patients (HIV/HCV). Moreover, a case series of four HIV/HCV genotype (HCV-GT)1 patients with rapid virologic response (RVR), who received only 28 weeks of BOC-based triple-therapy (BOCW28), was reported. 290/440 HIV-positive patients with positive HCV serology had at least one visit during the past 2 years, 142/290 had target detectable HCV-RNA with 64% (82/142) carrying HCV-GT1. While 18 HIV/HCV-GT1 displayed contraindications, 45% (64/142) of HIV/HCV were eligible for triple-therapy. Insufficiently controlled HIV-infection despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) (HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL: 73% vs. 22%; p<0.001) and liver cirrhosis (31% vs. 8%; p=0.025) were overrepresented among patients with contraindications for triple-therapy. Low treatment uptake rates (39% (25/64)) during the first 2 years of triple-therapy availability suggest that its benefit in HIV/HCV co-infected patients might fall short of expectations. Modification of cART or TPV dose adjustment would have been necessary in 61% and 84% of HIV/HCV-GT1 on cART eligible for triple-therapy using TPV and BOC, respectively, suggesting that drug-drug interactions with cART complicate management in the majority of patients. All four BOCW28 patients achieved a sustained virologic response. Prospective studies are necessary to validate our observations on the shortening of treatment duration in HIV/HCV-GT1 with RVR.

Correlates of drug use cessation among participants in the Canadian HIV-HCV Co-infection Cohort

BACKGROUND

Ongoing drug use remains a barrier to HIV and HCV treatment. We examined the occurrence and correlates of drug use cessation among HIV-HCV co-infected drug users participating in HIV care.

METHODS

Participants from the Canadian Co-infection Cohort reporting drug use (injecting drugs and/or smoking crack) with at least two follow-up visits were included (n=521 (43%), 1832 visits). Socio-demographics, behavioural, and health information were collected at each six-month visit. Associations with cessation (no drug use since last visit) were examined using non-linear mixed effects logistic regression models with random intercepts.

RESULTS

During follow-up, 361 (69%) participants ceased using drugs. Having a fixed address (aOR [adjusted odds ratio] 1.73, CI [95% confidence interval] 1.02-2.96) and smoking crack without injecting drugs (aOR 3.10, CI 2.05-4.71) were positively associated. Living alone (aOR 0.47, CI 0.35-0.63), current tobacco use (aOR 0.41, CI 0.26-0.64), hazardous alcohol drinking (aOR 0.67, CI 0.49-0.91), snorting drugs (aOR 0.52, CI 0.37-0.74), having a greater exposure to addiction programmes (aOR 0.88, CI 0.81-0.94), having been recruited in Quebec or Nova Scotia (aOR 0.41, CI 0.25-0.66), and British Columbia or Alberta (aOR 0.51, CI 0.32-0.82) were negatively associated. Various socio-demographic (age, education) and health-related (HIV duration, care adherence) factors were not associated.

CONCLUSION

Drug use cessation among HIV-HCV co-infected persons is relatively common in this cohort. Stable housing and supportive living situations seem to be important facilitators for drug use cessation in this population. Greater efforts should be made to retain patients in addiction treatment programmes.

A descriptive model of patient readiness, motivators, and hepatitis C treatment uptake among Australian prisoners

Background

Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) has a significant global health burden with an estimated 2%–3% of the world's population infected, and more than 350,000 dying annually from HCV-related conditions including liver failure and liver cancer. Prisons potentially offer a relatively stable environment in which to commence treatment as they usually provide good access to health care providers, and are organised around routine and structure. Uptake of treatment of HCV, however, remains low in the community and in prisons. In this study, we explored factors affecting treatment uptake inside prisons and hypothesised that prisoners have unique issues influencing HCV treatment uptake as a consequence of their incarceration which are not experienced in other populations.

Method and Findings

We undertook a qualitative study exploring prisoners' accounts of why they refused, deferred, delayed or discontinued HCV treatment in prison. Between 2010 and 2013, 116 Australian inmates were interviewed from prisons in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. Prisoners experienced many factors similar to those which influence treatment uptake of those living with HCV infection in the community. Incarceration, however, provides different circumstances of how these factors are experienced which need to be better understood if the number of prisoners receiving treatment is to be increased. We developed a descriptive model of patient readiness and motivators for HCV treatment inside prisons and discussed how we can improve treatment uptake among prisoners.

Conclusion

This study identified a broad and unique range of challenges to treatment of HCV in prison. Some of these are likely to be diminished by improving treatment options and improved models of health care delivery. Other barriers relate to inmate understanding of their illness and stigmatisation by other inmates and custodial staff and generally appear less amenable to change although there is potential for peer-based education to address lack of knowledge and stigma.

Breaking down the barriers to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment among individuals with HCV/HIV coinfection: action required at the system, provider, and patient levels

The majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection occurs among persons who inject drugs. Rapid improvements in responses to HCV therapy have been observed, but liver-related morbidity rates remain high, given notoriously low uptake of HCV treatment. Advances in HCV therapy will have a limited impact on the burden of HCV-related disease at the population-level unless barriers to HCV education, screening, evaluation, and treatment are addressed and treatment uptake increases. This review will outline barriers to HCV care in HCV/HIV coinfection, with a particular emphasis on persons who inject drugs, proposing strategies to enhance HCV treatment uptake and outcomes.

Taming systems to create enabling environments for HCV treatment: negotiating trust in the drug and alcohol setting

HCV (hepatitis C) treatment uptake among the population most affected - people who inject drugs - is suboptimal. Hospital based treatment provision is one evidenced barrier to HCV treatment uptake. In response, HCV treatment is increasingly located in treatment settings seen as more amenable to people who inject drugs, such as drug and alcohol services. We explored the accessibility of HCV treatment provision at two such partnerships. Data collection comprised qualitative interviews collected in 2011 and 2012 with 35 service users and 14 service providers of HCV treatment in London, United Kingdom. We draw here primarily on thematic analyses of service provider accounts, yet narratives relating to trust and environment emerged unsolicited in both user and provider accounts of negotiated HCV treatment access. A key theme in service provider accounts were strategies they deployed to 'tame' the treatment system so as to create an 'enabling environment' of care, in which trust was a critical feature. This 'taming' of the system was enacted through practices of 'negotiated flexibility', including in relation to appointments, eligibility, and phlebotomy. Service user accounts accentuated familiar environments and known health providers as those most trusted, and the potentially stigmatising effects of negotiating treatment in unfamiliar territory, especially hospital settings. Whilst noting the effects of provider strategies to negotiate flexibility on behalf of would-be patients seeking treatment, we conclude by noting the limits of trust relations in settings of constrained choice.

Management of HCV and HIV infections among people who inject drugs

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Despite a high burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infection among IDUs and the advent of effective therapies, assessment and treatment remain limited. The current review focuses on the management of HCV and HIV among IDUs, focusing particularly on recent strategies to enhance assessment, uptake and response to HCV and HIV treatment.

RECENT FINDINGS

There are compelling data demonstrating that with the appropriate programs, treatment for HIV and HCV among IDUs is successful. However, assessment and treatment for HCV and HIV lags far behind the numbers of IDUs who could benefit from therapy, related to systems, provider and patient-related barriers to care. Strategies for enhancing assessment and treatment for HCV and HIV have been developed, including novel models integrating HCV/HIV care within existing community-based and drug and alcohol clinics, innovative methods for education delivery (including peer-support models) and directly observed therapy.

SUMMARY

As we move forward, research must move beyond demonstrating that HCV and HIV infections can be successfully treated among IDUs. There is clear evidence that this is both feasible and effective. Novel strategies to enhance assessment, uptake and response to treatment should be evaluated among IDUs to elucidate mechanisms to enhance care for this underserved population.

Patient and provider characteristics associated with the decision of HIV coinfected patients to start hepatitis C treatment

Hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV coinfection is common and liver disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among coinfected patients. Despite advances in HCV treatment, few HIV coinfected patients actually initiate treatment. We examined patient and provider characteristics associated with a patient's decision to accept or refuse HCV treatment once offered. We conducted patient chart abstraction and surveys with 127 HIV coinfected patients who were offered HCV treatment by their provider and surveys of their HCV care providers at three HIV clinics. Participants were mostly male (87%), minority (66%), and had a history of injection drug use (60%). Most had been diagnosed with HIV for several years (X=13.7 years) and reported HIV transmission through unprotected sex (47%). Of the 127 patients, 79 accepted treatment. In multivariate analysis, patients who had a CD4 greater than 200 cells/mm(3) and a provider with more confidence about HCV treatment were more likely to accept the recommendation to start treatment; younger age was marginally associated with treatment acceptance. In bivariate analysis, added correlates of treatment acceptance included male gender, no recent drug use, and several provider attitudes regarding treatment and philosophy about determination of patient treatment readiness. Patient and provider characteristics are important when understanding a patient's decision to start or defer HCV treatment. Further research is needed to better understand barriers to treatment uptake as new and more effective HCV treatments will soon be available.