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Change in HIV-HCV Risk-Taking Behavior and Seroprevalence Among Opiate Users Seeking Treatment Over an 11-year Period and Harm Reduction Policy

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Abstract

Our purpose was to assess change in HIV and HCV prevalence and risk-taking behaviors among IDUs over a period of time that included changes in French Public Health policy. Risk behavior and biological testing for serostatus were collected from cross-sectional samples of yearly new requests for opiate dependence treatment in Aquitaine, France between 1994 and 2004 (n = 648). Coincident declines in injection equipment sharing and HIV prevalence among injectors were observed, while sexual behavior remained stable. There was a decline in HCV prevalence that was not significant among injectors. After controlling for potential confounding variables, participants enrolled after 1995 were less likely to share injection material and those enrolled after 1999 were less likely to share spoons. Our findings give evidence for behavioral and seroprevalence changes among IDUs over a period of time that included changes in needle access policy.

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Abbreviations

RAB:

Risk assessment battery

ASI:

Addiction severity index

IDUs:

Intravenous drug users

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

HCV:

Hepatitis C virus

SD:

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by MESR-94V 0269 to M. Auriacombe, a Research Grant PHRC (1994 and 2000) from the French Ministry of Health to J. Tignol and M. Auriacombe, a Research Grant MILDT INSERM (2004) from the French Ministry of Research to M. Auriacombe and French National Research Agency PRA-CNRS-CHU-Bordeaux award (2008–2010) to M. Fatseas. The funding sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data, or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. The researchers confirm their independence from funders and sponsors. All researchers had access to all the data. Valérie Bertorelle, Pascale Franques-Rénéric, Estelle Lavie and Rebecca Poutet are thanked for their participation in this study. Gaelle Encrenaz is thanked for her advice in the data analysis. We thank all physicians and participants for their contribution. Pr. Jean Tignol, former director of the Laboratoire de psychiatrie is acknowledged and deeply thanked for his seminal contribution to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Psychiatrie/CNRS USR 3413 (Sanpsy), Université Bordeaux Segalen, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076, Bordeaux, France, Europe

    Melina Fatseas, Cécile Denis, Fuschia Serre, Jacques Dubernet, Jean-Pierre Daulouède & Marc Auriacombe

  2. Département d’Addictologie, CH Charles Perrens and CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, Europe

    Melina Fatseas, Cécile Denis, Fuschia Serre, Jacques Dubernet, Jean-Pierre Daulouède & Marc Auriacombe

  3. Addiction Treatment Clinic Bizia, Bayonne, France, Europe

    Jean-Pierre Daulouède & Marc Auriacombe

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Marc Auriacombe

  5. Treatment Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Cécile Denis

Authors
  1. Melina Fatseas
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  2. Cécile Denis
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  3. Fuschia Serre
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  5. Jean-Pierre Daulouède
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  6. Marc Auriacombe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Auriacombe.

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Fatseas, M., Denis, C., Serre, F. et al. Change in HIV-HCV Risk-Taking Behavior and Seroprevalence Among Opiate Users Seeking Treatment Over an 11-year Period and Harm Reduction Policy. AIDS Behav 16, 2082–2090 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0054-4

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