The Hepatitis C Continuum of Care Among HIV-Positive Persons with Heavy Alcohol Use in St. Petersburg, Russia

Abstract

This study describes the self-reported prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection and the HCV care continuum among persons enrolled in the St PETER HIV Study, a randomized controlled trial of medications for smoking and alcohol cessation in HIV-positive heavy drinkers and smokers in St. Petersburg, Russia. Baseline health questionnaire data were used to calculate proportions and 95% confidence intervals for self-reported steps along the HCV continuum of care. The cohort included 399 HIV-positive persons, of whom 387 [97.0% (95% CI 95.3-98.7%)] reported a prior HCV test and 315 [78.9% (95% CI 74.9-82.9%)] reported a prior diagnosis of HCV. Among those reporting a diagnosis of HCV, 43 [13.7% (95% CI 9.9-17.4%)] had received treatment for HCV, and 31 [9.8% (95% CI 6.6-13.1%)] had been cured. Despite frequent HCV testing in this HIV-positive Russian cohort, the proportion reporting prior effective HCV treatment was strikingly low. Increased efforts are needed to scale-up HCV treatment among HIV-positive Russians in St. Petersburg.

Keywords: Continuum of care; HIV; Hepatitis C; Substance use.

Figure 1.. Self-reported HCV continuum of care among HIV-positive persons with heavy alcohol and daily tobacco use in St. Petersburg, Russia

Column 1: Proportion of HIV-positive persons in the analytic sample (n=399, 100%). Column 2: Proportion of HIV-positive persons who reported a prior hepatitis C virus (HCV) test (n=387, 97.0%). Column 3: Proportion of HIV-positive person who reported a prior diagnosis of HCV (n=315, 78.9%). Column 4: Proportion of HIV-positive persons with a prior diagnosis of HCV who reported receiving HCV treatment (n=43, 13.7%). Column 5: Proportion of HIV-positive persons with a prior diagnosis of HCV who reported being treated and cured of hepatitis C (n=31, 9.8%). Black error bars represent 95% confidence intervals for column percentages.