OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the assessment and treatment outcomes of a prison hepatitis service. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective, observational cohort study of prison inmates who attended hepatitis clinics from 1996 to 2005 at correctional centres in New South Wales. PATIENTS: Inmates who attended the clinics, including a nested case-control series of patients who received antiviral treatment and age- and sex-matched patients who did not receive treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who attended the service; correlates of selection for antiviral treatment; and clinical and virological outcomes of treatment. RESULTS: Of the 1043 inmates who attended the clinics, 851 were men (82%) and 994 (95%) were referred for HCV infection; the mean age for this group was 33 years (range, 18-74 years). In the case-control series (185 treated and 186 untreated patients), selection for treatment was not biased by culturally and linguistically diverse background, current methadone treatment or psychiatric status. In the treated group, 76 of 138 genotyped patients had a genotype that is predictive of favourable treatment response, and a small minority of those with available liver biopsy results had established cirrhosis (7/119 patients). Of treated patients for whom complete follow-up data were available, 55% achieved sustained virological response and 100% adhered to therapy. In addition, treatment episodes were not especially complicated. CONCLUSION: Although the prison population has high rates of injecting drug use and poor mental health, imprisonment offers an opportunity for assessment and treatment of chronic HCV infection.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the assessment and treatment outcomes of a prison hepatitis service. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective, observational cohort study of prison inmates who attended hepatitis clinics from 1996 to 2005 at correctional centres in New South Wales. PATIENTS: Inmates who attended the clinics, including a nested case-control series of patients who received antiviral treatment and age- and sex-matched patients who did not receive treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who attended the service; correlates of selection for antiviral treatment; and clinical and virological outcomes of treatment. RESULTS: Of the 1043 inmates who attended the clinics, 851 were men (82%) and 994 (95%) were referred for HCV infection; the mean age for this group was 33 years (range, 18-74 years). In the case-control series (185 treated and 186 untreated patients), selection for treatment was not biased by culturally and linguistically diverse background, current methadone treatment or psychiatric status. In the treated group, 76 of 138 genotyped patients had a genotype that is predictive of favourable treatment response, and a small minority of those with available liver biopsy results had established cirrhosis (7/119 patients). Of treated patients for whom complete follow-up data were available, 55% achieved sustained virological response and 100% adhered to therapy. In addition, treatment episodes were not especially complicated. CONCLUSION: Although the prison population has high rates of injecting drug use and poor mental health, imprisonment offers an opportunity for assessment and treatment of chronic HCV infection.
Authors: Sarah Larney; Hannah Kopinski; Curt G Beckwith; Nickolas D Zaller; Don Des Jarlais; Holly Hagan; Josiah D Rich; Brenda J van den Bergh; Louisa Degenhardt Journal: Hepatology Date: 2013-08-06 Impact factor: 17.425
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Authors: Kathryn J Snow; Jesse T Young; David B Preen; Nicholas G Lennox; Stuart A Kinner Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2014-08-11 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Jisoo A Kwon; Georgina M Chambers; Fabio Luciani; Lei Zhang; Shamin Kinathil; Dennis Kim; Hla-Hla Thein; Willings Botha; Sandra Thompson; Andrew Lloyd; Lorraine Yap; Richard T Gray; Tony Butler Journal: PLoS One Date: 2021-02-11 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Andrés Marco; José J Antón; Joan Trujols; Pablo Saíz de la Hoya; José de Juan; Inmaculada Faraco; Joan A Caylà Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2015-08-19 Impact factor: 3.090
Authors: Lorraine Yap; Susan Carruthers; Sandra Thompson; Wendy Cheng; Jocelyn Jones; Paul Simpson; Alun Richards; Hla-Hla Thein; Paul Haber; Andrew Lloyd; Tony Butler Journal: PLoS One Date: 2014-02-27 Impact factor: 3.240