A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons.

Autor: Busschots D; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium. dana.busschots@uhasselt.be.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium. dana.busschots@uhasselt.be., Kremer C; Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics (I-Biostat), Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium., Bielen R; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium., Koc ÖM; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.; School of NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands., Heyens L; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.; School of NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands., Brixko C; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CHR Citadelle, Liège, Belgium.; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium., Laukens P; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium., Orlent H; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, AZ St-Jan, Bruges, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium., Bilaey P; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium., De Smet F; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium., Hellemans G; Dienst Coördinatie Medische Zorg, Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie, Brussel, Belgium., Muyldermans G; Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Van Baelen L; Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium., Hens N; Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical Bioinformatics (I-Biostat), Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.; Centre for Health Economic Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium., Van Vlierberghe H; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium., Robaeys G; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC infectious diseases [BMC Infect Dis] 2021 Jul 27; Vol. 21 (1), pp. 708. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 27.
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06405-z
Abstrakt: Background: Prevalence data on viral hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV infection in prison are often scarce or outdated. There is currently no systematic screening for these blood-borne viral infections (BBV) in Belgian prisons. There is an urgency to assess the prevalence of these BBV to inform policymakers and public healthcare.
Methods: This was a multicentre, interventional study to assess the prevalence of BBV using opt-in screening in prisons across Belgium, April 2019 - March 2020. Prisoners were tested using a finger prick and BBV risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. A generalized linear mixed model was used to investigate the association between the various risk factors and HCV.
Results: In total, 886 prisoners from 11 Belgian prisons were screened. Study uptake ranged from 16.9 to 35.4% in long-term facilities. The prevalence of HCV antibodies (Ab), hepatitis B surface antigen (Ag) and HIV Ab/Ag was 5.0% (44/886), 0.8% (7/886), and 0.2% (2/886). The adjusted odds for HCV Ab were highest in prisoners who ever injected (p < 0.001; AOR 24.6 CI 95% (5.5-215.2). The prevalence of detectable HCV RNA in the total cohort was 2.1% (19/886). Thirteen (68.4%) prisoners were redirected for follow-up of their HCV infection.
Conclusions: Opt-in testing for viral hepatitis B, C and HIV was relatively well-accepted in prisons. Compared with the general population, prisoners have a higher prevalence of infection with BBV, especially for HCV. Systematic screening for these BBV should be recommended in all prisons, preferably using opt-out to optimize screening uptake.
Trial Registration: Retrospectively registered at clinical trials NCT04366492 April 29, 2020.
(© 2021. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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