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Lee YC, Liu WC, Hsieh YL, Wu CH, Wu PY, Luo YZ, Yang JY, Chen YH, Fang CT, Hung CC, Chang SC. Non-opioid recreational drug use and a prolonged HIV outbreak among men who have sex with men in Taiwan: An incident case-control study, 2006-2015. J Formos Med Assoc 2021; 121:237-246. [PMID: 33824010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2021.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Limited data are available on the role of illicit non-injecting drug use in a prolonged HIV outbreak that predominantly affected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taiwan since 2006. We aimed to assess associations between specific types of drug use and incident HIV infections in this outbreak. METHODS We conducted a retrospective case-control study among MSM clients at voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) service at National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). We used BED IgG-capture enzyme immunoassay to identify incident HIV infection (cases), individually matched to HIV-negative MSM clients (controls) by HIV testing date. We used a structured questionnaire to obtain the information on illicit drug use and sexual risk behaviors. RESULTS From a total of 15,305 MSM client visits during 2006-2015, 387 cases were matched to 1012 controls. Use of inhaled nitrites (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1), MDMA (aOR 2.9), amphetamines (aOR 1.6), and ketamine (aOR 1.5) were independently associated with incident HIV infection. Polydrug (≥2 drugs) use was associated with the highest risk (aOR 4.3; 95% CI 2.6-7.2). While the proportion of MSM VCT clients who reported use of any recreational drug remained stable during 2006-2015 (average: 9.7%, P: 0.38), there was a shift in specific types of drug use, from MDMA/ketamine to inhaled nitrites/amphetamine, after 2011 (all Ps < 0.05). CONCLUSION Non-opioid recreational drugs use is associated with incident HIV infection in this prolonged HIV outbreak. There is an urgent need to formulate an effective public health response to mitigate the risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chieh Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Lotung Poh-Ai Hospital, Lo-Hsu Medical Foundation, I-Lan, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chun Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yuli Lily Hsieh
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hsin Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Ying Wu
- Center of Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Zhen Luo
- Center of Infection Control, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Yi-Hsuan Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Tai Fang
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Ching Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Shan-Chwen Chang
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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