Prevalence of and risk factors for HCV among incarcerated people at Great Tehran Prison: a cross-sectional study
SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Behnam Farhoudi is based at Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Amir-al-Momenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Elnaz shahmohamadi is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehrnaz Rasoolinejad is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Maliheh Hasannezhad is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Rasool Rashidi is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Omid Dadras is based at Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Ali Moradi is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Zohal Parmoon is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hooman Ebrahimi is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ali Asadollahi-Amin is based at Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
International Journal of Prisoner Health
ISSN: 1744-9200
Article publication date: 13 February 2023
Issue publication date: 28 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Hepatitis C is one of the major health issues in both developed and developing countries. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is more common in prisoners than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV and its associated risk factors in Iranian male prisoners in Tehran.
Design/methodology/approach
In this cross-sectional study, the authors investigated the frequency and risk factors of hepatitis C infection among male prisoners in the Great Tehran Prison. Information on risk factors including the length of imprisonment, previous history of imprisonment, history of drug injection, history of tattooing, history of piercing, history of high-risk sex and family history of hepatitis C were extracted from patients’ records. To evaluate HCV status, blood samples were collected and tested.
Findings
In this study, 179 participants were included. Nine participants (5.0%, 95% CI, 2.3-9.3) were positive for hepatitis C. HCV infection was not significantly associated with age, marital status, education, previous history of imprisonment, length of imprisonment, piercing and high-risk sex; however, there was a significant association between a history of tattooing and a history of injecting drug use and Hepatitis C.
Originality/value
The prevalence of hepatitis C among male prisoners in Great Tehran Prison was 5% in this study, similar to recent studies on prisoners in Tehran. A history of drug injections as well as tattooing were the most important risk factors for hepatitis C in male prisoners.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the staff of the prison for their help.
This study was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences with grant no. 9211215045.
Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethics approval was exempted by the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Consent for publication: Not applicable.
Availability of data and materials: The data sets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Authors' contributions: M.R. collected all data from study participants and established the database. M.H., O.D. and M.R. reviewed and commented on the manuscript. E.S., Z.P., A.M. and H.E. were contributors in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Citation
SeyedAlinaghi, S., Farhoudi, B., Shahmohamadi, E., Rasoolinejad, M., Hasannezhad, M., Rashidi, M.R., Dadras, O., Moradi, A., Parmoon, Z., Ebrahimi, H. and Asadollahi-Amin, A. (2023), "Prevalence of and risk factors for HCV among incarcerated people at Great Tehran Prison: a cross-sectional study", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 536-544. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-09-2022-0059
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited