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Prevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Adolescents in Detention
Rita M. Bair, MD, MPH;
Jacques G. Baillargeon, PhD;
Patricia J. Kelly, RN, PhD;
Sarah J. Lerand, MD;
Janet F. Williams, MD;
Rob Lyerla, PhD;
Miriam J. Alter, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:1015-1018.
Objective To assess the prevalence and correlates of hepatitis C virus infection in a sample of detained adolescents.
Design/Setting/Participants Cross-sectional prevalence study with 10- to 18-year-old adolescents who were consecutively admitted to a juvenile detention center in San Antonio, Tex.
Main Outcome Measures The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and associated risk factors.
Results Of the 1002 participants, 75% were Hispanic and the mean age was 15 years. Twenty adolescents had laboratory data consistent with hepatitis C virus infection, giving an overall prevalence of 2.0% (95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.1). All adolescents infected with hepatitis C virus were Hispanic (13 boys and 7 girls). Although a high proportion of the participants reported having had intranasal drug use (55.6%), tattooing (50.5%), or body piercing (25.3%), the only factor significantly associated with hepatitis C virus infection was having a history of injection drug use. Injection drug use was reported by 5.3% of the participants but by 95% (19/20) of those infected with the hepatitis C virus.
Conclusions This study indicates that injection drug use was linked with the majority of hepatitis C virus infections in this population of detained adolescents, similar to findings in adults. These adolescents reported a high frequency of other behaviors that could potentially pose a risk for contracting bloodborne infections. Effective prevention and awareness programs in a detention setting need to be comprehensive and include screening, hepatitis A and B immunizations, and risk-reduction counseling.
Author Affiliations: Departments of Pediatrics (Drs Bair, Baillargeon, Lerand, and Williams) and Family Nursing (Dr Kelly), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio; and the Division of Viral Hepatitis (Drs Lyerla and Alter), National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.
Dr Bair is currently affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and Dr Lerand is affiliated with the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Dr Kelly is now with the School of Nursing/Medicine, University of Missouri–Kansas City.
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