Table 1.
Characteristics of the Re-HCV study participants (N = 422)** at study inclusion.
| Characteristics | Reinfection follow-up group (n = 97) n (%) | Viremic group (n = 334) n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, median (range) | 44 (30–59) | 41 (26–57) |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 86 (88.7) | 311 (93.1) |
| Female | 10 (10.3) | 23 (6.9) |
| Foreign origin | 28 (28.9) | 153 (46.1) |
| HIV infection | 23 (23.7) | 103 (30.8) |
| Psychiatric disorder | 24 (24.7) | 76 (23.0) |
| Educational attainment > primary | 56 (63.6) | 201 (60.7) |
| Homeless during the 6 months before incarceration | 53 (58.2) | 61 (18.5) |
| Previously incarcerated | 77 (86.5) | 250 (75.3) |
| Sexual orientation | ||
| Heterosexual | 85 (95.5) | 319 (96.1) |
| Homosexual | 1 (1.1) | 5 (1.5) |
| Bisexual | 3 (3.4) | 8 (2.4) |
| Intravenous drug use at least once during live | 74 (82.2) | 283 (84.7) |
| Intravenous drug use in prison | – | 80 (28.3) |
| Intravenous drug use during hepatitis C treatment | 30 (31.3) | – |
| Intravenous drug use during hepatitis C treatment while in prison | 12 (40.0) | – |
| Sharing of needles* | 16 (16.7) | 140 (41.9) |
| Sharing of needles in prison* | 9 (56.3) | 46 (33.6) |
| Sharing of syringes* | 17 (17.9) | 145 (43.5) |
| Sharing of syringes in prison* | 10 (55.6) | 45 (32.4) |
| Sharing of other injection equipment* | 19 (19.8) | 169 (50.6) |
| Sharing of other injection equipment in prison* | 9 (47.7) | 47 (28.5) |
| Practicing front-backloading* | 11 (11.5) | 102 (30.5) |
| Practicing front-backloading in prison* | 5 (45.5) | 27 (27.6) |
| Sharing drugs already prepared to inject* | 17 (17.7) | 174 (52.3) |
| Sharing drugs already prepared to inject in prison* | 9 (52.9) | 45 (26.5) |
| Cocaine snorting* | 45 (46.9) | 288 (86.2) |
| Cocaine snorting in prison* | 28 (65.1) | 117 (41.2) |
| Sharing cocaine snorting straw* | 34 (35.8) | 215 (64.8) |
| Sharing cocaine snorting straw in prison* | 20 (60.6) | 89 (42.0) |
| Piercing or tattooing* | 33 (34.4) | 250 (74.9) |
| Piercing or tattooing in prison* | 18 (54.4) | 119 (48.0) |
| Unprotected sex* | 21 (21.9) | 165 (49.4) |
| Unprotected sex in prison* | 5 (23.8) | 26 (16.0) |
| Currently in treatment for drug addiction* | 62 (64.6) | 164 (49.2) |
| Released, on prison furlough, or released under surveillance during the present sentence* | 23 (24.2) | 33 (9.9) |
*These questions referred to the hepatitis C treatment period for the reinfection follow-up group, and to at any time in life for the viremic group.
**Nine individuals of the viremic group were candidates to be subsequently included in the reinfection follow-up group after treatment and SVR achievement.