| prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis c in dialysis patients and transplant recipients with possible routes of transmission. | the prevalence of hepatitis c infection and possible predisposing factors was assessed in a renal unit. of 343 patients at our renal dialysis centre, 37 (10.8%) were anti-hcv positive by a 1st-generation assay (elisa, ortho/chiron) and confirmed positive in 35 (10.2%) with a 2nd-generation test (ubi, new york). anti-hcv positivity was significantly associated with: duration of renal replacement therapy (p < 0.0001); quantity of blood transfused (p < 0.002); duration of hospital haemodialysis (p ... | 1992 | 1283447 |
| hepatitis c virus: evidence for sexual transmission. | to determined the prevalence of hepatitis c virus infection and associated risk factors in patients attending a genitourinary medicine clinic, as evidence for sexual transmission. | 1991 | 1647826 |
| low incidence of non-a, non-b post-transfusion hepatitis in london confirmed by hepatitis c virus serology. | to see whether the introduction of screening tests for post-transfusion non-a, non-b hepatitis (nanbh) in the uk would be worth while, the incidence of such hepatitis was assessed among patients receiving blood during operations at five hospitals served by the north london blood transfusion centre. 387 patients, who each received blood or blood components from an average of 3 donors were followed up prospectively and blood samples were taken every 2 weeks for 3 months and then each month for a f ... | 1991 | 1672391 |
| frequency of asymptomatic hepatitis types b and c in an inner city community and relation to possible risk factors. | the frequency of asymptomatic carriage of the hepatitis virus types b and c in an inner city area (south london) was assessed in a survey of 1002 subjects attending their general practitioner for minor, non-hepatic complaints. ten subjects were seropositive for hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) (1 per cent), but only one, who declined liver biopsy, had any clinical laboratory evidence of hepatitis b virus-related chronic liver disease. carriage of, and exposure to, hepatitis b virus was signif ... | 1991 | 1754668 |
| low prevalence of antibody to hepatitis c virus in north east england. | the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis c virus (anti-hcv) was studied in north east england in blood donors, local multiply transfused patients, local high risk individuals, and chronic liver disease patients. anti-hcv was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) in 2/1120 (0.18%) blood donors; 1/84 chronic renal failure patients on haemodialysis who had received 1,992 units of blood (seroconversion rate of 0.05% per unit transfused), 1/207 cardiac patients 6 months post cardiac ... | 1990 | 1964476 |
| hepatitis c virus infection in the asymptomatic british blood donor. | blood donor screening for hepatitis c virus (hcv) antibodies is now routine. most blood transfusion services recommend that seropositive donors are referred for further investigation. southern european studies suggest that many asymptomatic seropositive donors have clinically significant liver disease. seropositive donors in areas of high prevalence may not, however, be representative of british donors. we have prospectively examined the prevalence and severity of hcv infection in a british volu ... | 1995 | 7493294 |
| hepatitis b outbreak in a drug trials unit: investigation and recommendations. | in autumn 1990 three young men developed acute hepatitis b. they belonged to a group of 24 young male volunteers who had taken part in a trial in a residential unit for drug trials in july and august 1990. a further case of acute hepatitis b and a carrier of hepatitis b e antigen (hbeag) were detected by serological testing of the volunteers. volunteers, in two groups of twelve, had occupied the unit at different times during the trial. the four cases occurred in the group that contained the hbe ... | 1994 | 7509238 |
| seroprevalence of hepatitis b and c in a merseyside hospital for the mentally handicapped. | this study reports the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis b virus (hbv) and c virus (hcv), and the frequency of potential exposure to these viruses among patients and staff in six long-stay wards of a hospital caring for mentally handicapped adults from the mersey region. a retrospective survey of risk behaviour among 134 patients and questionnaire survey of 75 nursing staff was performed. serum samples from both groups were tested for hbv markers and patient sera for antibodies to hcv by enz ... | 1994 | 7509754 |
| prevalence of hepatitis c antibodies in clinical health-care workers. | health-care workers are known to be at risk from occupational transmission of blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis c. there may be serious implications following infection with hepatitis c including possible transmission to patients. we determined the prevalence of hepatitis c virus (hcv) antibodies among health-care workers at risk of occupational contact with blood and body fluids and among source patients in reported blood-exposure incidents. anonymised stored blood samples from health-ca ... | 1994 | 7516460 |
| hepatitis c (hcv)-positive blood donors in south-west england: a case control study. | the aim of this study was to compare the socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors in anti-hcv positive blood donors with those of matched controls. the participants were 50 hepatitis c antibody (hcv) positive blood donors and 50 matched blood donors with no evidence of hcv infection, who gave blood to the south western transfusion centre between november 1991 and july 1992. a confidential structured interview was conducted to collect socio-demographic data and to elicit information on ... | 1994 | 7522833 |
| a study of anti-hepatitis c positive blood donors: the first year of screening. | in the u.k., blood donations have been routinely screened for anti-hcv since september 1991. in order to get the most epidemiological benefit from these extensive screening data, the histories obtained at counselling from donors confirmed to be anti-hcv positive, 'indeterminate' and falsely positive have been analysed in detail. in addition, the associations with potential risk factors have been investigated by comparing these groups of donors with a control group of 771 routine donors bled on o ... | 1994 | 7522834 |
| how many people in england and wales risk infection from injecting drug use? | injecting drug users who share equipment may transmit and acquire bloodborne virus infections, including hiv, hepatitis b virus, and hepatitis c virus. even without sharing, injection with non-sterile equipment, drugs, or mixing agents may result in infection due to bacteria or fungi. estimates of the number of people who are currently at risk of infection from injecting drug use are needed in order to plan services and care, and to interpret surveillance data. this paper examines the data from ... | 1995 | 7536591 |
| prokaryotic expression and analysis of the antibody response to a newcastle isolate of the core gene of hepatitis c. | the full length hepatitis c virus (hcv) core gene was isolated from a newcastle strain and expressed in e. coli. a truncated hcv core gene which lacks the hydrophobic carboxyl-terminal sequence was also expressed. the truncated hcv core was expressed at higher levels with fewer cleavage products. antibody reactivity to the recombinant hcv core antigen was analysed by elisa and western blotting in 60 hcv antibody-positive patients with a broad spectrum of liver disease. there was no significant d ... | 1995 | 7539832 |
| molecular epidemiology of hepatitis c virus infection amongst intravenous drug users in rural communities. | the prevalence of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection amongst a group of intravenous drug users (ivdus) resident in west suffolk (east anglia, england) was investigated and compared with the prevalence of infection with hepatitis b virus (hbv) and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). in addition, both the level of hcv persistence, as defined by detection of viral rna, and the hcv genotypes present in this population were determined. it was found that hcv antibodies were present in 59% of those test ... | 1995 | 7542693 |
| hepatitis c-related chronic liver disease among asymptomatic blood donors in the north west of england. | in the first 19 months of screening, the north western regional transfusion centre (rtc) tested 224,000 consecutive blood donors for antibody to hepatitis c virus (anti-hcv) by second generation enzyme immunoassay (eia). of these, 366 repeatedly reactive samples were referred for confirmatory testing at manchester public health laboratory (phl). there, the initial eia was repeated, together with two further eias. all the referred samples were subjected to a confirmatory line immunoblot (riba-ii) ... | 1995 | 7545715 |
| low risk of sexual transmission of hepatitis c virus. | sexual transmission of hepatitis c virus (hcv) was studied between 104 anti-hcv positive index cases (99 haemophilic men, five women) who have attended the oxford haemophilia centre and 104 (98 female, 6 male) longstanding sexual partners. ninety-one percent of the index cases were hcv rna positive by the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and 56% were anti-human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) positive. three (2.9%) sexual partners (each a female partner of a different hcv rna positive haemophilic ma ... | 1993 | 7689092 |
| hepatitis c virus: guidance on the risks and current management of occupational exposure. phls hepatitis subcommittee. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) transmission after percutaneous exposure to blood at work has been documented. follow up of health care workers who report significant percutaneous or mucocutaneous exposures to sources that are known to be, or that might be, hcv-infected should include storage of serum from the source (if identifiable) and anti-hcv testing of the blood specimen obtained from the health care worker at six months post-exposure. routine testing of the health care worker's initial post-expos ... | 1993 | 7693137 |
| heterogeneity of hepatitis c virus genotypes in hemophilia: relationship with chronic liver disease. | in this study we have determined the hepatitis c virus (hcv) serotype and genotype in a cohort of 96 hcv-infected hemophiliacs and have examined the relationship between hcv genotype and severity of chronic liver disease as determined by liver biopsy. hcv serotype was determined by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) and genotype by restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) and hcv viral sequencing. the pattern of genotype distribution was quite unlike that of hcv-infected ... | 1995 | 7858256 |
| primary hepatocellular carcinoma and viral hepatitis b and c infection in bangladeshi subjects. | potential risk factors for the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma and the prevalence and role of infection with viral hepatitis b and hepatitis c were investigated in 54 adult patients of bangladeshi origin (45 male, age range 20-75 years), comprising 46 patients resident in bangladesh (group 1) and 8 patients who had emigrated to the uk 10-20 years previously (group 2). of the 46 patients in group 1 (37 male), 16 had hepatocellular carcinoma, 10 had uncomplicated cirrhosis, and 20 ... | 1995 | 7861482 |
| follow up of blood donors positive for antibodies to hepatitis c virus. | | 1994 | 8068079 |
| outbreak of acute hepatitis c following the use of anti-hepatitis c virus--screened intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection has been associated with intravenous (iv) immunoglobulin (ig), and plasma donations used to prepare iv ig are now screened to prevent transmission. thirty-six patients from the united kingdom received infusions from a batch of anti-hcv antibody-screened intravenous ig (gammagard; baxter healthcare ltd., thetford, norfolk, england) that was associated with reports of acute hepatitis c outbreak in europe. the aim of this study was to document the epidemiology of t ... | 1996 | 8613001 |
| seroprevalence of hepatitis b and c virus in two institutions caring for mentally handicapped adults. | hepatitis b virus infection is common in institutions caring for the mentally handicapped. hepatitis b virus and hepatitis c virus share routes of transmission but the prevalence of hepatitis c virus infection in this population is unknown. we have tested 101 patients from two institutions in south-east england caring for adults with mental handicap for the presence of hepatitis c antibody, hepatitis b core antibody, and if necessary hepatitis b surface antigen. none tested positive for hepatiti ... | 1996 | 8774540 |
| hepatitis c virus: epidemiology and genotypes in the north east of england. | the epidemiology of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection was studied in an english teaching hospital over an 18 month period. a total of 104 hcv antibody positive patients were referred for further investigation. they were divided into those diagnosed through screening (blood donors and intravenous drug abusers) and those diagnosed for other reasons, and their mean ages, known risk factors for hcv transmission, genotypes, and liver biopsy histology were analysed. screened patients were significantl ... | 1996 | 8801210 |
| does anti-hbc reactivity reflect 'lifestyle' risk in north london blood donors? | to determine whether antibody to hepatitis b core (anti-hbc) reactivity, as a marker of hepatitis b virus infection, reflects a 'lifestyle' risk in donors in north london, we have obtained detailed histories from donors with various manifestations of hbv infection. | 1997 | 9088074 |
| a method for the detection and confirmation of antibodies to hepatitis c virus in dried blood spots. | this study describes the development and evaluation of a cost effective test rationale for the detection of anti-hcv in dried blood spots. samples were screened using an 'in house' igg elisa that incorporated the recombinant proteins c22-3, c200 and ns5. confirmation of specific antibody to hcv was by a modification of the immunoblot riba 3.0. an extensive panel of well evaluated anti-hcv positive and negative samples from the uk and south africa were used to assess the sensitivity and specifici ... | 1997 | 9389410 |
| laboratory surveillance of hepatitis c virus infection in england and wales: 1992 to 1996. | screening assay for antibody to hepatitis c virus (hcv) became available late in 1990 and their use has subsequently become widespread. laboratories in england and wales reported 5232 confirmed hcv infections to the phls communicable disease surveillance centre (cdsc) between 1992 and 1996. fifty-seven per cent (2976) of reports included risk factor information, 80% of which (2382) identified injecting drug use as the main route of transmission. thirty-one per cent of reports (1640) included cli ... | 1998 | 9644120 |
| hepatitis g virus infection in drug users in liverpool. | to establish the prevalence of hepatitis g (hgv) in drug users in liverpool; to explore the risk factors for, and the effects of, hgv infection. | 1998 | 9821088 |
| hepatitis b and hepatitis c virus infections: risk factors among drug users in northwest england. | to identify the risk factors for hepatitis b (hbv) and hepatitis c (hcv) virus infections in drug users attending two drug treatment centres in northwest england, and to evaluate the effect of both needle exchange and hepatitis b vaccination on the prevalence of hepatitis b and hepatitis c infections. | 1998 | 9892530 |
| the most prevalent hepatitis c virus genotypes in england and wales are 3a and 1a. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) genotypes were assigned to 567 individuals by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the 5' noncoding region of the hcv genome following reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. the groups of individuals in this study included hemophilia patients, injecting drug users (idus), blood donors, antenatal patients, those attending genitourinary medicine (gum) clinics, and patients with chronic liver disease, all from england and wales. the majority of hcv ... | 1999 | 10335859 |
| large-scale hcv rna screening in first-time blood donors: the first step towards genomic screening of blood donations. hcv rna screening study group. | individual genomic screening for viruses in blood donations is becoming increasingly pressing as an alternative to pool testing to improve the safety of the blood supply. | 1999 | 10341330 |
| survey of risk behaviour and hiv prevalence in an english prison. | an anonymous, voluntary, linked cohort study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of hiv infection and identify risk factors for the spread of infection in an english prison. three hundred and seventy-eight (68%) of the inmates participated. the hiv point prevalence was 0.26%. injecting drug use (idu) was the most significant hiv risk factor within 20% admitting idu at any time, of whom 58% injected whilst in prison. of those injecting in prison 73% shared needles. two inmates admitted hav ... | 1999 | 10454182 |
| lichen planus is not associated with hepatitis c virus infection in patients from north west england. | it has been suggested that infection with hepatitis c virus may be associated with the development of lichen planus and that geographical area may be an important factor affecting the relative risk. the present 2-centre, prospective, epidemiological study investigates this possible association in north west england. a total of 45 patients with classical and/or erosive mucous membrane lichen planus and 32 controls were tested for seropositivity to hepatitis c virus. none of the patients with lich ... | 1999 | 10494717 |
| effects of handling and storage of blood on the stability of hepatitis c virus rna: implications for nat testing in transfusion practice. | to determine the stability of hepatitis c virus (hcv) rna during transport and storage of blood samples from donors, prior to screening for hcv by nucleic acid amplification technology. | 2000 | 10838513 |
| prevalence of hepatitis c among pregnant women attending an inner london obstetric department: uptake and acceptability of named antenatal testing. | to examine the value of universal antenatal screening for hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection among an inner london population, with regard to prevalence, uptake, and acceptability of testing, and identification of new cases. | 2000 | 10896922 |
| prevalence of hiv, hepatitis b, and hepatitis c antibodies in prisoners in england and wales: a national survey. | prisoners in eight of the 135 prisons in england and wales were surveyed in 1997 and 1998 to study the prevalence of and risk factors for transmission of bloodborne viruses in prison. subjects voluntarily completed a risk factor questionnaire and provided oral fluid specimens for unlinked anonymous testing for the presence of antibodies to hiv, hepatitis c virus (hcv), and the core antigen of hepatitis b virus (hbc). almost 8% (4778) of the total of 60,561 prisoners were eligible and four fifths ... | 2000 | 10902255 |
| pre-aids mortality and its association with hiv disease progression in haemophilic men, injecting drug users and homosexual men. | to study pre-aids mortality and its association with hiv disease progression in different exposure groups with known intervals of hiv seroconversion. | 2000 | 10985321 |
| prevalence of hepatitis c among injection drug users in england and wales: is harm reduction working? | this study sought to establish the prevalence of hepatitis c antibodies (anti-hcv) and hepatitis b antibodies (anti-hbc) among injection drug users in england and wales. | 2001 | 11189821 |
| the prevalence and genetic diversity of hepatitis c infection in antenatal clinic attenders in two regions of england. | the prevalence and genetic diversity of hepatitis c infection in women attending antenatal clinics in two regions of england was investigated to inform future surveillance and control measures. women booking into antenatal care are routinely offered a test for immunity to rubella. serum residues from these tests were unlinked, anonymized and archived as part of the unlinked anonymous prevalence monitoring programme (uapmp). the serum specimens were tested for anti-hcv using a cost-effective pool ... | 2000 | 11218221 |
| the epidemiology of hepatitis c in a uk health regional population of 5.12 million. | the epidemiology and natural history of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection in the uk are uncertain. previous reports are from small or selected populations such as blood donors or tertiary referral centres. | 2001 | 11302973 |
| screening for hiv, hepatitis b and c infection in a population seeking assisted reproduction in an inner london hospital. | the human fertilisation and embryology authority requires all sperm donors to be screened for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), hepatitis b and c and their semen quarantined for six months. no guidelines exist for screening prior to in vitro fertilisation or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. we prospectively analysed the prevalence of these viruses in our patients. screening detected one case of hiv (0.13%), four of hepatitis c (0.5%) and 14 new cases of hepatitis b (1.7%). the prevalence of h ... | 2001 | 11426904 |
| projecting severe sequelae of injection-related hepatitis c virus epidemic in the uk. part 2: preliminary uk estimates of prevalent injection-related hepatitis c carriers, and derivation of progression rates to liver cirrhosis by gender and age at hepatitis c virus infection. | in part 2, we illustrate how available data can be used to obtain preliminary estimates for scotland of prevalent injection-related hepatitis c carriers and of maternally hepatitis c virus (hcv)-infected infants. novel approaches to reducing uncertainty about the number of scotland's hcv infected children of injector parents are discussed in brief. three approaches, one direct and two indirect, to estimating the number of current and ever-injectors are presented for england and wales. | 2001 | 11437089 |
| potential for hepatitis c transmission among non-needle/syringe sharing sheffield drug injectors through the sharing of drug preparation paraphernalia. | this study aimed to investigate possible means by which hepatitis c virus (hcv) might be transmitted between drug injecting individuals without the sharing of needles and syringes. a questionnaire-based survey of 143 (out of 287) attendees was conducted at an infectious diseases unit-based hcv clinic. those patients (all of whom were positive for antibodies to hcv) who asked about risk activities and those that admitted to a history of recreational drug injecting were questioned in detail about ... | 2001 | 11467017 |
| increase in alcohol related deaths: is hepatitis c a factor? | to evaluate recent trends in alcohol related deaths in the uk and to consider possible causative factors. | 2002 | 12195003 |
| the prevalence of hepatitis c in england and wales. | to estimate the background population prevalence of hepatitis c in england and wales, observe the prevalence over time and assess the extent of infection outside of known risk groups. | 2002 | 12423608 |
| risk factors, clinical features and genotype distribution of diagnosed hepatitis c virus infections: a pilot for a sentinel laboratory-based surveillance. | hepatitis c is a global public health problem. a cross-sectional survey was undertaken to determine the frequency of reported risk factors and possible transmission routes in individuals in whom hcv antibody (anti-hcv) was newly detected. seven public health laboratories in england and wales reported persons with positive anti-hcv tests over a three-month period (1st november 1996-31st january 1997). a questionnaire was then sent to the clinician or general practitioner (gp) who requested the te ... | 2003 | 12736970 |
| estimation of the risk of hepatitis b virus, hepatitis c virus and human immunodeficiency virus infectious donations entering the blood supply in england, 1993-2001. | the frequency of hepatitis b virus (hbv), hepatitis c virus (hcv) or human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infectious donations entering the blood supply in england is too low to monitor using observational studies. the expected frequency of infectious donations can be estimated and these estimates may be used to contribute to monitoring of blood safety and used in the design of strategies to decrease the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. | 2003 | 12757501 |
| a survey of doctors' and nurses' knowledge, attitudes and compliance with infection control guidelines in birmingham teaching hospitals. | this study investigated knowledge about infection control amongst doctors and nurses through a cross-sectional survey conducted between march and may 2001 in three birmingham, uk teaching hospitals. seventy-five doctors and 143 nurses, representing 7% and 4%, respectively, of potential respondents, participated in the study measuring knowledge of, attitudes towards, and compliance with universal precautions. overall knowledge of risks of blood-borne virus (bbv) transmission from an infected pati ... | 2003 | 12767850 |
| the significance of 'anti-hbc only' in the clinical virology laboratory. | isolated detection of hepatitis b core antibody (anti-hbc) in the absence of surface antigen (hbsag) or antibody (anti-hbs) has been reported, particularly among individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv). the significance of this phenomenon is unknown and it is unclear whether all individuals with such serological pattern need further molecular investigations. | 2003 | 12829038 |
| outbreak of hepatitis a in the injecting drug user and homeless populations in bristol: control by a targeted vaccination programme and possible parenteral transmission. | to study the use of hepatitis a virus (hav) vaccination in controlling an outbreak of hav in inner-city bristol among injecting drug users (idus). to study whether hepatitis c virus (hcv) and hepatitis b virus (hbv) co-infection increases morbidity. | 2003 | 12867801 |
| management of hiv and hepatitis b or c co-infection in 15 hiv treatment centres. disparity between protocols and practice. | our aim was to ascertain current guidelines and clinical practices prevalent in hiv treatment centres in the north thames region of england on the care of patients co-infected with hiv and hepatitis b or c. a self-completed postal survey of clinic guidelines and retrospective case-note reviews was performed. fifteen of the 27 units completed the survey and generally had clinic guidelines consistent with current national guidelines. stated policy was usually to screen hiv patients for hepatitis b ... | 2003 | 12869227 |
| a national survey of genitourinary medicine clinic attenders provides little evidence of sexual transmission of hepatitis c virus infection. | to determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of hepatitis c virus in genitourinary medicine clinic attenders and to assess the extent of sexual transmission of the virus. | 2003 | 12902580 |
| evaluation of a prison outreach clinic for the diagnosis and prevention of hepatitis c: implications for the national strategy. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection is a major public health problem recognised by the uk national strategy that proposes that a care pathway for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment be established in all prisons, integrated within managed clinical networks. a prison sentence provides the opportunity to focus on traditionally hard to reach patients. | 2003 | 12970145 |
| sexual transmission of hepatitis c and early intervention. | the major risk factors for the transmission of hepatitis c virus (hcv) have been sharing needles for intravenous drug use (idu) and receiving blood and blood products; however, recent findings suggest that hcv is being increasingly sexually transmitted, particularly among hiv-positive men who engage in high-risk, unprotected sexual behaviors with other men. sixteen hiv-positive patients were diagnosed with sexually acquired hcv infection at a leading london hiv outpatient treatment center during ... | 2003 | 14571563 |
| hepatitis c and its risk management among drug injectors in london: renewing harm reduction in the context of uncertainty. | recognizing the dearth of qualitative research on hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection associated with injecting drug use in the uk, this paper summarizes qualitative insights from a study exploring the social relations of hcv risk management among drug injectors in london. | 2004 | 15078237 |
| uk court denies prisoner with hiv early release. | on 19 august 2003, the england and wales court of appeal (criminal division) denied an application by a man with hiv and hepatitis c to suspend his sentence of imprisonment due to his poor health. | 2003 | 15108665 |
| knowledge of chronic hepatitis c among east london primary care physicians following the department of health's educational campaign. | in august 2002, the department of health (dh) wrote to all general practitioners (gps) in england about hepatitis c, enclosing an educational booklet. | 2004 | 15152106 |
| failure to diagnose recent hepatitis c virus infections in london injecting drug users. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection results in chronic liver disease in a substantial proportion of those infected. most new cases of hcv infection in the uk are associated with intravenous drug use. it is important to identify these infections because of the implications for the future health of the individuals concerned and for the control of further spread of infection. however, as hepatitis c infection is characterised by a relatively long asymptomatic period of seronegative viraemia, a labora ... | 2004 | 15221898 |
| preventing hepatitis c: 'common sense', 'the bug' and other perspectives from the risk narratives of people who inject drugs. | there is little published research about how people who inject drugs are responding to the hepatitis c epidemic. this study seeks to address the prevention of hepatitis c using qualitative interviews with people who inject drugs in london. we explored narratives about risk reduction and hepatitis c in the social and historical context of other risks such as hiv, vein damage and overdose. themes of the narratives included: the importance of autonomy in the acquisition of safer injecting skills; t ... | 2004 | 15312916 |
| understanding social stigma in women with hepatitis c. | the aim of this research is to gain a more complete understanding of the impact of the hepatitis c virus (hcv) on women. | 2004 | 15521414 |
| incidence of hepatitis c virus and hiv among new injecting drug users in london: prospective cohort study. | | 2005 | 15533854 |
| screening for hepatitis c virus in the dartmoor prison population: an observational study. | prisons are a potential setting for hepatitis c screening. this study describes prisoner flows through such screening for all prisoners entering dartmoor prison between 1 january 1998 and 30 june 2001. | 2004 | 15598857 |
| sharps discarded in inner city parks and playgrounds--risk of bloodborne virus exposure. | the objectives of this study were to determine the number of discarded syringes found in four parks in southwark, south london, over a specific time period and to test their contents for the presence of hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv). of 106 syringes collected over a four-month period, evidence of hbv was detected in 4.7% (5/106) and hcv in 4.7% (5/106). urban children, park users and workers are at risk of contact with sharps which may be contaminated with both viruses. par ... | 2004 | 15779791 |
| advances in anti-viral therapeutics. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) and hiv infections are of high economical importance as they have a global impact, high mortality rates and, consequently novel treatments are urgently needed. worldwide, 170 and 34 - 46 million people are infected with hcv and hiv, respectively. hcv and hiv medications constitute the largest antiviral markets today. the efforts in fighting hcv infections are still limited to early clinical development, trying to establish proof-of-concept in man. however, in hiv, there i ... | 2005 | 15833066 |
| prevalence of hepatitis c in an ethnically diverse hiv-1-infected cohort in south london. | there is limited information on the prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection among hiv-1-infected patients in the uk. our objective was to determine the prevalence of hcv infection among an ethnically diverse cohort of hiv-infected patients in south london, and to extrapolate from these data the number of co-infected patients in the uk. | 2005 | 15876288 |
| patterns of illicit drug use of prisoners in police custody in london, uk. | the aims of the study were to explore the current characteristics of drug misusers seen in police custody and identify trends or changes that have taken place in the last decade. a prospective, anonymised, structured questionnaire survey was undertaken of consenting consecutive, self-admitted illicit drug users seen by forensic physicians in police custody within the metropolitan police service in london, uk in 2003. | 2005 | 15950514 |
| transmission of hepatitis c virus among hiv-positive homosexual men and response to a 24-week course of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. | to evaluate treatment outcome of acute hepatitis c virus (hcv) in hiv-positive individuals. | 2005 | 16123680 |
| pregnancy outcome in women who use opiates. | opiate use in pregnancy is on the increase. there are a number of complications associated with this problem but current data from uk centres are sparse. | 2006 | 16202501 |
| prevalence of hepatitis c-related cirrhosis in elderly asian patients infected in childhood. | approximately 20% of hepatitis c virus (hcv) patients develop cirrhosis from infection after about 20 years. the proportion of patients developing cirrhosis for longer than 30 years after infection is unknown. our objectives were to determine the prevalence of hcv-related cirrhosis in a population of asian patients who were infected in childhood 20 to 80 years ago and compare this with the prevalence of cirrhosis in caucasian patients referred to the same hospitals. | 2005 | 16234030 |
| pathways of care and resource utilization in a national cohort of patients with transfusion-acquired hepatitis c. | the hepatitis c strategy and action plan for england recommend that all individuals testing positive for hepatitis c virus (hcv) should be referred to a specialist centre for assessment and care. one key aim is to reduce the number of people progressing to liver disease and therefore reduce the associated costs. the aims of this paper are to describe the care pathways and evaluate resource utilization in a cohort of 826 patients with transfusion-acquired hepatitis c enrolled in the hcv national ... | 2005 | 16255763 |
| prevalence of, and risk factors for, hepatitis c virus infection among recent initiates to injecting in london and glasgow: cross sectional analysis. | our aim was to compare the prevalence of antibody to hepatitis c virus (anti-hcv) among recently initiated injecting drug users (idus) in london and glasgow, and to identify risk factors which could explain differences in prevalence between the cities. complementary studies of community recruited idus who had initiated injection drug use since 1996 were conducted during 2001-2002. data on hcv risk behaviours were gathered using structured questionnaires with identical core questions and responde ... | 2005 | 16255768 |
| clinical pathways for patients with newly diagnosed hepatitis c - what actually happens. | management of hepatitis c virus (hcv)-infected individuals requires referral to specialist care. to determine whether patients newly diagnosed as anti-hcv positive are appropriately referred for further investigation and management, and if not, to determine why not. we studied patients tested for antibodies to hcv by nottingham public health laboratory in a 2-year period (2000-2002). the progress of newly diagnosed anti-hcv positive patients into specialist clinics for further management was doc ... | 2006 | 16611193 |
| modelling the force of infection for hepatitis b and hepatitis c in injecting drug users in england and wales. | injecting drug use is a key risk factor, for several infections of public health importance, especially hepatitis b (hbv) and hepatitis c (hcv). in england and wales, where less than 1% of the population are likely to be injecting drug users (idus), approximately 38% of laboratory reports of hbv, and 95% of hcv reports are attributed to injecting drug use. | 2006 | 16762050 |
| general practice characteristics associated with rates of testing and detection of hepatitis c: cross-sectional study in nottingham and derbyshire. | the aim of this study was to determine general practice characteristics associated with testing rates for hepatitis c virus (hcv) and the proportion of tests with a positive result. the study included all patients tested for hcv from all general practices in the primary care trusts in nottingham and southern derbyshire, uk over 2 years. there was a large variation between practices in hcv testing rates and the proportion of positive tests. single-handed practices had higher testing rates and rat ... | 2006 | 16882381 |
| hepatitis c virus: laboratory surveillance in england and wales, 1992-2004. | between 1992 and 2004, a total of 49,819 confirmed hepatitis c infections have been reported to the health protection agency (hpa) by laboratories in england and wales; the annual number of reports increased from 241 in 1991 to 8149 in 2004. most reports with a known risk factor were in injecting drug users (87%, 12,438/14,221), but 71% (35,598/49,819) of the total had no reported identified risk. the age-sex distribution of the latter cases was similar to that in injecting drug users. using nam ... | 2007 | 16953951 |
| sharps injuries in uk health care: a review of injury rates, viral transmission and potential efficacy of safety devices. | to review the literature on sharps injuries and occupational bloodborne virus transmission in health care in the uk and the worldwide evidence for injury prevention of sharps safety devices. | 2006 | 17065314 |
| modelling the impact on hepatitis c transmission of reducing syringe sharing: london case study. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) prevalence and incidence among injecting drug users (idus) has increased in london and rest of uk. to inform public health action, mathematical modelling is used to explore the possible impact of strategies to decrease syringe sharing. | 2007 | 17218325 |
| can current national surveillance systems in england and wales monitor sexual transmission of hepatitis c among hiv-infected men who have sex with men? | recent reports suggest an increase in sexually-transmitted hepatitis c infection among hiv-infected men who have sex with men (msm) in european cities. we investigated whether current national surveillance systems in england and wales (e&w) are able to monitor sexual transmission of hepatitis c infection among hiv-infected msm. | 2007 | 17233919 |
| immunological techniques in viral hepatitis. | the need to quantitate and monitor immune responses of large patient cohorts with standardized techniques is increasing due to the growing range of treatment options for hepatitis b and hepatitis c, the development of combination therapies, and candidate experimental vaccines for hcv. in addition, advances in immunological techniques have provided new tools for detailed phenotypic and functional analysis of cellular immune responses. at present, there is substantial variation in laboratory proto ... | 2007 | 17239482 |
| excess mortality rates in a cohort of patients infected with the hepatitis c virus: a prospective study. | we analysed the trent hepatitis c cohort to determine standardised mortality ratios in patients infected with hepatitis c virus (hcv), and to identify risk factors and associations with all-cause and liver-related mortality. | 2007 | 17344277 |
| compliance with follow-up after occupational exposure to hepatitis c. | accidental percutaneous exposure to blood containing hepatitis c virus (hcv) is reported by health care workers more frequently than exposure to human immunodeficiency and hepatitis b virus. the transmission rate following such an exposure is approximately 1.9%. little is known about the attendance rate of such staff for follow-up testing following exposure to hcv. | 2007 | 17387161 |
| recent epidemic of acute hepatitis c virus in hiv-positive men who have sex with men linked to high-risk sexual behaviours. | to characterize the mode of hepatitis c virus (hcv) transmission in a recent epidemic of acute hcv in hiv-infected individuals using linked molecular and clinical epidemiological studies. | 2007 | 17457092 |
| travel-associated acquisition of hepatitis c virus infection in patients receiving haemodialysis. | it has been proposed that hepatitis c virus (hcv)-infected patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing maintenance haemodialysis may lack hcv antibody (anti-hcv) despite chronic hcv viraemia. this carries important implications for the design of surveillance policies. | 2007 | 17535845 |
| the burden of hepatitis c in england. | in england, a large number of individuals are infected with the hepatitis c virus (hcv) and may develop future liver complications, such as decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc). estimates of the magnitude of this future burden are required to plan healthcare resources. we have estimated past incidence of hcv infection in england and predict future burden of end-stage liver disease in the hcv-infected population. a model of the natural history of hcv as a series of disease s ... | 2007 | 17650291 |
| hepatitis c virus (hcv) prevalence, and injecting risk behaviour in multiple sites in england in 2004. | we sought to corroborate geographical differences in hepatitis c virus (hcv) prevalence and assess whether these can be explained by differences in injecting risk behaviour. a community recruited interview survey of 1058 injecting drug users (idu) - including a blood spot specimen for antibody testing - was undertaken in seven cities in england. hcv prevalence varied from 27% to 74% across sites (chi(2)(6) = 115.3, p < 0.001). there was a significant variation in crack-injection, prison history, ... | 2007 | 17697017 |
| how can hepatitis c be prevented in the long term? | significant advances have been made in preventing hiv infection among injectors but we still know little about preventing hepatitis c (hcv). both prevalence and incidence of hepatitis c can remain high among idus even in the context of widespread implementation of harm reduction programmes. we need to develop new ways to fill the knowledge gap regarding hcv prevention. one way is to learn from the experts--those idus who, after long-term injection in social milieus of high hepatitis c prevalence ... | 2007 | 17854720 |
| increase in diagnosed newly acquired hepatitis c in hiv-positive men who have sex with men across london and brighton, 2002-2006: is this an outbreak? | to determine the incidence of diagnosed newly acquired hepatitis c virus (hcv) in hiv-positive men who have sex with men (msm) across london and brighton in order to inform public health interventions. | 2008 | 17932125 |
| increasing the uptake of hepatitis c virus testing among injecting drug users in specialist drug treatment and prison settings by using dried blood spots for diagnostic testing: a cluster randomized controlled trial. | the objective of this study was to assess whether introducing dried blood spot testing can increase hepatitis c virus (hcv) diagnostic testing. a cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted. sites were matched into pairs, with one site in each pair randomly allocated to receive the intervention (training and use of dried blood spot). data were collected from all sites for 6 months before and 6 months after the start of the intervention. the participants were 22 specialist drug clinics and ... | 2008 | 18086182 |
| the increasing prevalence of hepatitis delta virus (hdv) infection in south london. | on the basis of historical studies, hepatitis delta virus (hdv) infection is considered uncommon in the united kingdom (uk) and mainly confined to intravenous drug users. in order to assess the current prevalence of hdv co-infection in patients with chronic hepatitis b (hbv), a retrospective analysis was performed of 962 consecutive hbv-infected adult patients referred to king's college hospital between january 1st 2000 and march 31st 2006. the 82 subjects positive for hdv antibody (8.5%) had a ... | 2008 | 18098143 |
| estimating hepatitis c prevalence in england and wales by synthesizing evidence from multiple data sources. assessing data conflict and model fit. | multiparameter evidence synthesis is becoming widely used as a way of combining evidence from multiple and often disparate sources of information concerning a number of parameters. synthesizing data in one encompassing model allows propagation of evidence and learning. we demonstrate the use of such an approach in estimating the number of people infected with the hepatitis c virus (hcv) in england and wales. data are obtained from seroprevalence studies conducted in different subpopulations. eac ... | 2008 | 18349037 |
| exploring associations between perceived hcv status and injecting risk behaviors among recent initiates to injecting drug use in glasgow. | the aim of this study was to explore the influence of testing for hepatitis c virus (hcv) and perceived hcv status on injecting risk behavior. a cross-sectional, community-wide survey was undertaken at multiple sites throughout greater glasgow during 2001-2002. four hundred ninety-seven injecting drug users (idus) consented to participate and were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to ascertain hcv test history and injecting risk behavior. the average age of participants was 27 years a ... | 2008 | 18365938 |
| diagnosis of acute hepatitis c virus infection and estimated incidence in low- and high-risk english populations. | the diagnosis of acute hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection is not straightforward; few people exhibit clinical symptoms and genome/antigen detection techniques do not indicate when infection had occurred. here, a strategy to detect hcv rna in the absence of antibody ('window-period') for diagnosis of acute infection is assessed. the sentinel surveillance of hepatitis testing study was used to retrospectively identify anti-hcv negative samples from high-risk individuals (2002-2003), for testing sin ... | 2008 | 18637073 |
| the cost-effectiveness of screening and treatment for hepatitis c in prisons in england and wales: a cost-utility analysis. | prisoners have a high prevalence of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection compared with the general population in england and wales and in many locations throughout the world. this is because of large numbers of injecting drug users that engage in behaviours likely to transmit hcv being present within prison populations. it is, therefore, suggested that prison may be an appropriate location for hcv screening and treatment to be administered. using cost-utility analysis, this study considers the cost ... | 2008 | 18637074 |
| where are people being tested for anti-hcv in england? results from sentinel laboratory surveillance. | summary: many people infected with hepatitis c virus (hcv) are unaware of their infection and are, therefore. potentially infectious to others. to enable effective case-finding policies to be developed, an understanding of where people, and injecting drug users (idus) in particular, are accessing hcv antibody testing is needed. hcv antibody testing data were collected electronically from 21 sentinel laboratories in england between 2002 and 2006 in this cross-sectional study. service types of the ... | 2008 | 18637078 |
| an 'elephant in the room'? stigma and hepatitis c transmission among hiv-positive 'serosorting' gay men. | recent research has highlighted concerns about sexually transmitted infection with hepatitis c virus (hcv) in populations of hiv-positive men who have sex with men. this paper presents results from a qualitative pilot study exploring the experience of stigma in hiv/hcv co-infected men. the preliminary findings suggest that hcv infection can be experienced as more stigmatising than hiv among gay and other men who have sex with men. this hierarchical stigmatisation complicates the disclosure of hc ... | 2008 | 18649198 |
| frequency, factors and costs associated with injection site infections: findings from a national multi-site survey of injecting drug users in england. | injection site infections among injecting drug users (idus) have been associated with serious morbidity and health service costs in north america. this study explores the frequency, factors and costs associated with injection site infections among idus in england. | 2008 | 18801177 |
| tackling sti epidemics through the hiv clinic: is sex high enough on the agenda? | sexually transmitted infection (sti) rates among men having sex with men continue to increase. hiv services may operate independently to genitourinary medicine clinics and the sexual health of hiv-positive patients may be of low priority in the context of medical problems related to hiv. a prospective study of hiv-positive gay men was conducted in a london outpatient clinic over a three-month period. data were available for 90 men. forty-five percent had sti screens in the preceding six months. ... | 2008 | 18824626 |
| setting up an enhanced surveillance of newly acquired hepatitis c infection in men who have sex with men: a pilot in london and south east region of england. | preliminary findings suggest ongoing hcv transmission among msm infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and that enhanced surveillance for newly acquired hcv in msm is feasible. | 2008 | 19021960 |
| an evidence synthesis approach to estimating hepatitis c prevalence in england and wales. | in england and wales, routine monitoring has been consistently showing an increase in mortality and morbidity due to infection with the hepatitis c virus (hcv). however, the magnitude of the underlying epidemic is still the subject of debate. in this paper we present estimates of the number of individuals aged 15-59 chronically infected with hcv in 2003, derived from a bayesian synthesis of information available from multiple sources on the size of the groups at risk for hcv and the risk specifi ... | 2009 | 19036917 |
| capture--recapture and anchored prevalence estimation of injecting drug users in england: national and regional estimates. | capture-recapture (c-rc) using four data sources, one of which accounted for 81% of captured injectors, and multiple indicator methods (mim) were used to obtain national, regional and local estimates of the prevalence of injecting drug use among opiate and/or crack cocaine users in england. persons aged 15 to 64 years, in contact with health and/or criminal justice services during 2005/2006, and known to be using opiates and/or crack cocaine and injecting drugs were included in the c-rc analysis ... | 2009 | 19036919 |
| lymphogranuloma venereum presenting as genital ulceration and inguinal syndrome in men who have sex with men in london, uk. | to describe a series of lymphogranuloma venereum (lgv) cases presenting as inguinal syndrome and/or genital ulceration seen among men who have sex with men (msm) in london, uk. | 2009 | 19066197 |