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The risk of infection with HIV and hepatitis B in individuals who inject steroids in England and Wales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1998

A. C. CRAMPIN ,
T. L. LAMAGNI ,
V. D. HOPE ,
J. A. NEWHAM ,
K. M. LEWIS ,
J. V. PARRY  and
O. N. GILL
A. C. CRAMPIN
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
T. L. LAMAGNI
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Public Health Laboratory Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
V. D. HOPE
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Public Health Laboratory Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
J. A. NEWHAM
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London
K. M. LEWIS
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London
J. V. PARRY
Affiliation:
Virus Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London
O. N. GILL
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Public Health Laboratory Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
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Abstract

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Data on injecting anabolic steroid users, within the national Unlinked Anonymous HIV Prevalence Monitoring Survey of injecting drug users (IDUs) were analysed to determine their risk of acquiring blood borne viruses. One hundred and forty-nine participants who had injected anabolic steroids in the previous month were identified from 1991–6, contributing 1·4% of all participation episodes in the survey. Rates of needle and syringe sharing by steroid users were low. Three of the 149 (2·0%) had anti-HBc and none had anti-HIV in their salivary specimens. The prevalence of anti-HBc in steroid injectors was significantly lower than in heroin injectors, 275/1509 (18%) (P<0·001), or in amphetamine injectors, 28/239 (12%) (P<0·001). The risk of blood borne virus transmission amongst these steroid injectors is low, probably due to hygienic use of injecting equipment and low levels of sharing. It is important to distinguish steroid injectors from other IDUs because they are a distinct group in terms of lifestyle and injecting practice.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 121 , Issue 2 , October 1998 , pp. 381 - 386
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press