Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics Summarized by Total and Intervention Condition
| Variable | Total (n = 200) |
Intervention (n = 98) |
Control (n = 102) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 47.4 (12.7) | 48.0 (13.0) | 46.8 (12.5) |
| Age groups | |||
| 20–29 | 21 (10.5) | 11 (11.2) | 10 (9.8) |
| 30–39 | 40 (20.0) | 16 (16.3) | 24 (23.5) |
| 40–49 | 51 (25.5) | 21 (21.4) | 30 (29.4) |
| 50–59 | 52 (26.0) | 33 (33.7) | 19 (18.6) |
| 60–80 | 36 (18.0) | 17 (17.4) | 19 (18.6) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 145 (72.5) | 69 (70.4) | 76 (74.5) |
| Female | 55 (27.5) | 29 (29.6) | 26 (25.5) |
| Housing status | |||
| Rented/owned accommodation | 124 (62.0) | 64 (65.3) | 60 (58.8) |
| Drug rehabilitation institution | 10 (5.0) | 7 (7.1) | 3 (2.9) |
| Low-threshold institution | 28 (14.0) | 10 (10.2) | 18 (17.7) |
| Prison | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.0) |
| Homeless/on the street | 37 (18.5) | 17 (17.4) | 20 (19.6) |
| Source of incomea | |||
| Part- or full-time job | 26 (13.1) | 14 (14.3) | 12 (11.9) |
| Welfare pension | 116 (58.6) | 61 (62.9) | 55 (54.5) |
| Social | 52 (26.3) | 20 (20.6) | 32 (31.7) |
| Other | 4 (2.0) | 2 (2.1) | 2 (2.0) |
| History of injecting drug use | |||
| Yes | 183 (91.5) | 86 (87.8) | 97 (95.1) |
| No | 17 (8.5) | 12 (12.2) | 5 (4.9) |
| Recent (past 3 m) injecting drug use | |||
| Yes | 121 (60.5) | 58 (59.2) | 63 (61.8) |
| No | 79 (39.5) | 40 (40.8) | 39 (38.2) |
| Recent sharing of injecting equipmentb | |||
| Yes | 34 (28.1) | 13 (22.4) | 21 (33.3) |
| No | 54 (44.6) | 30 (51.7) | 24 (38.1) |
| Unknown | 33 (27.3) | 15 (24.9) | 18 (28.6) |
| Preferred injected drugc | |||
| Heroin | 114 (64.8) | 54 (64.3) | 60 (65.2) |
| Amphetamines | 51 (29.0) | 25 (29.8) | 26 (28.3) |
| Other/mixed | 11 (6.3) | 5 (6.0) | 6 (6.5) |
| Current opioid agonist therapy | |||
| Yes | 90 (45.0) | 38 (38.8) | 52 (51.0) |
| No | 110 (55.0) | 60 (61.2) | 50 (49.0) |
| Opioid agonist therapy drugd | |||
| Methadone | 48 (53.3) | 21 (55.3) | 27 (51.9) |
| Buprenorphine | 36 (40.0) | 14 (36.8) | 22 (42.3) |
| Buprenorphine-naloxone | 2 (2.2) | 0 (0) | 2 (3.9) |
| Other | 4 (4.4) | 3 (7.9) | 1 (1.9) |
| Stage of liver diseasee | |||
| Mild or no liver fibrosis | 102 (52.0) | 51 (52.0) | 51 (52.0) |
| Intermediate fibrosis | 54 (27.6) | 25 (25.5) | 29 (29.6) |
| Compensated cirrhosis | 21 (10.7) | 14 (14.3) | 7 (7.1) |
| Decompensated cirrhosis | 19 (9.7) | 8 (8.2) | 11 (11.2) |
| FIB-4 index, mean (SD)f | 2.72 (5.95) | 2.85 (7.69) | 2.60 (3.43) |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma | |||
| Yes | 9 (4.5) | 5 (5.1) | 4 (3.9) |
| No or not assessed | 191 (95.5) | 93 (94.9) | 98 (96.1) |
| Renal function | |||
| eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 188 (94.0) | 89 (90.8) | 99 (97.1) |
| eGFR 30–59 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 8 (4.0) | 6 (6.1) | 2 (2.0) |
| eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 4 (2.0) | 3 (3.1) | 1 (1.0) |
| HIV coinfection | |||
| Yes | 6 (3.0) | 3 (3.1) | 3 (2.9) |
| No | 169 (84.5) | 86 (87.8) | 83 (81.4) |
| Not assessed | 25 (12.5) | 9 (9.2) | 16 (15.7) |
| HBV coinfection (HBsAg+) | |||
| Yes | 1 (0.5) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0) |
| No | 180 (90.0) | 93 (94.9) | 87 (85.3) |
| Not assessed | 19 (9.5) | 4 (4.1) | 15 (14.7) |
| HCV genotype | |||
| Genotype 1 | 47 (23.5) | 16 (16.3) | 31 (30.4) |
| Genotype 2 | 7 (3.5) | 1 (1.0) | 6 (5.9) |
| Genotype 3 | 48 (24.0) | 20 (20.4) | 28 (27.5) |
| Genotype 4–6 | 6 (3.0) | 2 (2.0) | 4 (3.9) |
| Not genotyped | 92 (46.0) | 59 (60.2) | 33 (32.4) |
| Days of hospitalization, median (IQR) | 6 (3–13) | 5 (2–13) | 7 (4–13) |
| Main discharge diagnosis | |||
| Drug related | 93 (46.5) | 39 (39.8) | 54 (52.9) |
| Infectious diseases | 33 (16.5) | 22 (22.5) | 11 (10.8) |
| Gastroenterology/hepatology | 24 (12.0) | 10 (10.2) | 14 (13.7) |
| Mental health | 15 (7.5) | 9 (9.2) | 6 (5.9) |
| Cardiopulmonary | 14 (7.0) | 8 (8.2) | 6 (5.9) |
| Alcohol related | 7 (3.5) | 4 (4.1) | 3 (2.9) |
| Other | 14 (7.0) | 6 (6.1) | 8 (7.8) |
| Charlson comorbidity index | |||
| 0–1 | 101 (50.5) | 41 (41.8) | 60 (58.2) |
| 2–3 | 43 (21.5) | 30 (30.6) | 13 (12.8) |
| 4–5 | 33 (16.5) | 16 (16.3) | 17 (16.7) |
| ≥6 | 23 (11.5) | 11 (11.2) | 12 (11.8) |
| Charlson comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 2.6 (2.3) | 2.8 (2.4) | 2.5 (2.2) |
Numbers are shown as n (%) unless otherwise indicated. Missing values are excluded from percentages.
Abbreviations: FIB-4, fibrosis-4; GFR, glomerular filtration rate; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.
aMissing data for 2 participants (1 intervention, 1 control).
bAmong those with recent (past 3 m) injecting drug use.
cAmong those with a history of injecting drug use; missing data for 7 participants (2 intervention, 5 control).
dAmong those with current opioid agonist therapy.
eBased on liver stiffness measurements in 86, FIB-4 index in 107, and imaging in 3 participants; missing data for 4 control participants.
fAmong 193 participants with an available FIB-4 index.