@article{3178011,
    title = "Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis C
virus-infected people who inject drugs: a Greek descriptive analysis",
    author = "Kranidioti, Hariklia and Chatzievagelinou, Christina and Protopapas, and Adonis and Papatheodoridi, Margarita and Zisimopoulos, Konstantinos and and Evangelidou, Eftychia and Antonakaki, Pinelopi and Vlachogiannakos, John and and Triantos, Christos and Elefsiniotis, Ioannis and Goulis, John and and Mela, Maria and Anagnostou, Olga and Tsoulas, Christos and Deutsch, and Melanie and Papatheodoridis, George and Manolakopoulos, Spilios",
    journal = "Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery",
    year = "2018",
    volume = "31",
    number = "5",
    pages = "598-603",
    publisher = "HELLENIC SOC GASTROENTEROLOGY",
    doi = "10.20524/aog.2018.0293",
    keywords = "Hepatitis C virus infection; people who inject drugs; illicit drug use",
    abstract = "Background It is estimated that 17,000 people who inject drugs (PWID) in
Greece have hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia. The aim of our study was to
explore the characteristics of the HCV-infected, direct acting antiviral
(DAA)-naive PWID.
Methods This is a retrospective analysis of PWID with HCV infection. We
selected data from six liver clinics during the period from 1st May 2014
to 31st May 2017 in order to record the characteristics of infected
PWID.
Results We included 800 PWID with HCV infection (78.5% male, mean age
42 +/- 10 years) who had not received DAAs before 1st June 2017. One
third of the patients had comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, arterial
hypertension and psychological disorders); 70% were smokers, 27%
alcohol users, 67% unemployed, 29% married, and 34% had education >12
years; 65% were attending addiction programs; 57% were receiving
methadone and 36% buprenorphine. Sporadic or systemic drug use was
reported by 37% while 1.4% and 2.9% had HIV and HBV coinfection,
respectively. The genotype distribution was 20.5%, 4.6%, 3.3%, 61%
and 10% for genotypes 1a, 1b, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Mean (+/- SD)
liver stiffness was 9 +/- 7 kPa and 21% of the patients had cirrhosis.
Half of the patients were in the F0-F1 stage of liver disease, defined
as stiffness <= 7 kPa.
Conclusions Our real-life data suggest that HCV genotype 3 remains the
predominant genotype among PWID. One third of PWID had comorbidities and
one-fifth cirrhosis. Half of PWID had early-stage liver disease and
remained without access to DAAs according to the Greek prioritization
criteria."
}