Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct;4(4):255-262.
doi: 10.1136/flgastro-2013-100308. Epub 2013 May 11.

Dry blood spot testing for hepatitis C in people who injected drugs: reaching the populations other tests cannot reach

J M Tait  1 , Brian P Stephens  1 , Paul G McIntyre  2 , Morgan Evans  3 , John F Dillon  1
Affiliations

Dry blood spot testing for hepatitis C in people who injected drugs: reaching the populations other tests cannot reach

J M Tait et al. Frontline Gastroenterol. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Dry Blood Spot testing (DBST) for hepatitis C within a geographical area.

Design: This is a prospective cohort study of all individuals living in Tayside who had received a hepatitis C virus (HCV) DBST between 2009 and 2011.

Results: During the study, 1123 DBSTs were carried out. 946 individuals had one test. 295 (31.2%) of these individuals were HCV antibody positive on their first test. Overall, 94.3% (902/956) individuals returned for the results of their test. During the course of the study 177 individuals were retested and 29 new cases of hepatitis C were detected. 249 individuals attended for further follow-up, and 164 (65.5%) were PCR positive. All 164 PCR-positive individuals were offered referral into specialist HCV services for further assessment. Data showed 62.5% were genotype 3, 65.1% had a low viral load (<600 000 iu/ml) and 77.5% had a Fibroscan score below 7 KPa. To date, 40 have commenced treatment and a further 16 are currently in the assessment period. Overall, we have retained in services or treated 63.6% (105/164) of patients who were initially referred and with effective support mechanisms in place we have achieved sustained viral response rates of 90%.

Conclusions: The study has shown that DBST is a complementary technique to conventional venepuncture for the diagnosis of HCV. The majority of patients have low viral loads and low fibrosis scores, so that while this group of patients may be difficult to reach and may be challenging to maintain in therapy, they are easier to cure.

Keywords: ANTIVIRAL THERAPY; HEPATITIS C.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hepatitis C dry blood spot testing outcomes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Persons reported to be HCV antibody positive. Rate per 100 000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Davis GL, Alter MJ, El-Serag H, et al. Aging of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected persons in the United States: a multiple cohort model of HCV prevalence and disease progression. Gastroenterology 2010;138:513–21. - PubMed
    1. Lavanchy D. The global burden of hepatitis C. Liver Int 2009;29(Suppl 1):74–81. - PubMed
    1. Alter HJ, Seeff LB. Recovery, persistence, and sequelae in hepatitis C virus infection: a perspective on long-term outcome. Semin Liver Dis 2000;20:17–35. - PubMed
    1. Camma C, Giunta M, Andreone P, et al. Interferon and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in viral cirrhosis: an evidence-based approach. J Hepatol 2001;34:593–602. - PubMed
    1. Roy KM, Hutchison SJ, Wadd S, et al. Hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users in Scotland: a review of prevalence and incidence data and the methods to generate them. Epidemiol Infect 2007;135:433–42. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources