High Prevalence of HIV Infection Associated With Incarceration Among Community-Based Injecting Drug Users in Tehran, Iran

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 342 - 346
• Main Authors: Zamani, Saman, Kihara, Masahiro, Gouya, Mohammad M, Vazirian, Mohsen, Nassirimanesh, Bijan, Ono-Kihara, Masako, Ravari, Shahrzad Mortazavi, Safaie, Afshin, Ichikawa, Seiichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 01-07-2006; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Demography; Disease transmission; Drug use; Epidemiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Injections; Iran - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Multivariate Analysis; Prevalence; Prisoners; Sexual Behavior; Socioeconomic Factors; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Virology; Iran; Asia; Teheran Iran; Immunopathology; Drug addiction; Prevalence; Microbiology; MSM; Retroviridae; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Epidemiology; Virology; Infection; Virus; HIV; Iran; injecting drug user; Viral disease; Human immunodeficiency virus; prison
• ISSN: 1525-4135; 1944-7884
• DOI: 10.1097/01.qai.0000219785.81163.67

OBJECTIVES:To determine the prevalence and correlates of HIV-1 infection among community-based injecting drug users (IDUs) in Tehran, Iran.
METHODS:In October 2004, 213 IDUs were recruited from a drop-in center and its neighboring parks and streets in Tehran. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire regarding their sociodemographics and HIV risk characteristics, and specimens of oral mucosal transudate were collected and tested for HIV-1 antibodies. Data were analyzed using χ and multiple logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS:The prevalence of HIV-1 infection was 23.2% (48 of 207) among male injecting drug users. In the multivariable analysis, a history of shared drug injection inside prison (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.01-5.97) and that of multiple incarcerations (OR, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.08-9.09) were associated with significantly higher prevalence of HIV-1 infection.
CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of HIV-1 infection has reached an alarming level among IDUs in Tehran, with incarceration-related exposures revealed to be the main correlates of HIV-1 infection. Urgent and comprehensive harm reduction programs for drug users in prison and those in the community in Tehran are of prime importance to prevent further transmission of HIV infection.