Syndemics of syphilis, HCV infection, and methamphetamine use along the east coast of China

BMC Public Health

Yujiang Jia²  Zhenqiang Bi¹  Na Zhang¹  XiaoYan Zhu¹  Cui Yang⁴  Guoyong Wang¹  Yuesheng Qian¹  Catherine Cox³  Xiaorun Tao¹  Dianmin Kang¹  Meizhen Liao¹ 

[1] Institution for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention & Shandong Key Laboratory for Epidemic Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, Shandong Province 250014, P R China;Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA;Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA;Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

关键词: Drug user;    Sexual behavior;    Methamphetamine;    HCV;    Syphilis;   

Others  :  1135499
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-14-172

 received in 2012-11-18, accepted in 2014-02-07,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

An upsurge in club drug use has been observed in recent years in some cities of China, especially methamphetamine, which is quickly replacing heroin to become the most widespread drug across the nation. This study investigated the type of drugs used, syphilis and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the correlates for syphilis, HCV and unprotected commercial sex behavior among drug users in two cities along the east coast of China.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey conducted in 2010 provided demographics, sexual and drug use behaviors, HIV knowledge and the utilization of intervention services among drug users. Blood samples were tested for HIV, syphilis, and HCV infection.

Results

Of 805 eligible participants, 0.2% were infected with HIV, 3.7% with HCV, and 9.6% with syphilis. Of the participants, 96.6% were methamphetamine users, 11.9% reported ever having used ≥2 types of these drugs, and 11.4% reported ever injecting drugs. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, participants infected with syphilis were more likely to be female (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-6.5), have ever had commercial sex in the past 12 months (AOR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.0-3.9), be infected with HCV (AOR=12.1, 95% CI: 4.1-20.3) and less likely to have ever had sex with regular partners in the past 12 months (AOR=0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.6). Participants infected with HCV were more likely to have ever injected drugs (AOR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.1-6.5) and be infected with syphilis (AOR=8.0, 95% CI: 3.5-18.0). Participants who had unprotected sex with commercial sex partners in the last sexual encounter were more likely to be female (AOR=2.9, 95% CI:1.7-4.9), have middle school or lower level education (AOR=3.4, 95% CI:2.0-5.5), never have received intervention in the last year (AOR=2.1, 95%CI:1.2-3.6) and be infected with syphilis (AOR=4.2, 95% CI:2.4-7.4).

Conclusions

Methamphetamine is the predominant drug used among the drug users, the prevalence of syphilis and HCV infection are alarmingly high, and unprotected commercial sex was common among this group. The findings highlight the need for effective, multifaceted interventions addressing sexual and drug use-related risky behaviors among this group. Further research is needed to better understand the causal pathway of the syndemics.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 liao et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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