Risk Factors for HCV Acquisition among HIV-Positive MSM in Belgium
OBJECTIVE:
To
better understand risk factors for the sexual transmission of hepatitis C viral
(HCV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM).
DESIGN:
Case-control
study among HIV-infected MSM, attending AIDS Reference Centers in Belgium.
METHODS:
Cases
were HIV-infected MSM who were diagnosed with HCV between January 2010 and
December 2013. For each case, 2 controls were randomly selected among the
HIV-positive MSM who tested negative for HCV around the same time as the cases
were identified. Consenting participants were interviewed with a questionnaire
on risk factors. Medical records were abstracted to document past episodes of
sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Associations between HCV infection and
risk factors were explored using bivariate analysis followed by multiple
logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS:
A total
of 52 cases and 90 controls were recruited. In multivariate analysis, douching before anal intercourse, fisting, having intercourse with HIV-positive men, and a documented gonorrhoea or chlamydial infection in
the year before inclusion in the study were
independently associated with incident HCV infection.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our
study confirmed fisting and suffering from other STIs as risk factors for HCV
and suggested an increased risk of HCV associated with serosorting.
Furthermore, we identified anal douching as
being associated with HCV infection. The role that douching plays in the acquisition of HCV infection and
other STIs requires further research, as well as the effect of serosorting on
STI transmission.
- 1Departments of *Clinical Sciences; †Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; ‡Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Pierre University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium; and §Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
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