Category Archives: People who use drugs
Factors associated with injecting-related risk behaviors among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis study
We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis study to better understand the factors (being drug use, drug type (methamphetamine vs others), sex partner, frequency of injection, homelessness and being HIV...
Systematic review and meta-analysis of global prevalence of HBsAg and HIV and HCV antibodies among people who inject drugs and female sex workers
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and their co-infections...
Global prevalence of HCV and/or HBV coinfections among people who inject drugs and female sex workers who live with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Coinfections of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV) with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are associated with high morbidity and mortality and poor prognosis. The main...
Injecting risk behaviours amongst people who inject drugs: A global multi-stage systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Injecting risk behaviour, such as receptive sharing of injecting equipment and/or re-using one’s equipment, is associated with bloodborne virus transmission and infections in people who inject drugs (PWID). We...
mHealth and opportunities in anti-retroviral adherence in HIV, a diverse group of patients with diverse and unique opportunities: A narrative review
BACKGROUND: Antiretrovirals (ARVs) are key in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While no cure exists, ARVs help patients live healthy lives and prevent transmission to others. However, adherence...
Factors associated with HIV testing among people who inject drugs: A meta-analysis
HIV testing is the first step to early identification, treatment and management of HIV infection among people involved in high-risk behaviors specifically drug injection. Achieving declines in morbidity and mortality...
HIV and drug related stigma and risk-taking behaviors among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The impact of HIV-related stigma on people living with HIV has been well documented, but there have been few studies examining how drug-related stigma impacts risk-taking in the lives of...
Socio-demographic and ecological factors associated with anti-HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) aim to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat by 2030. People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key risk group...
Effectiveness of interventions for changing HIV related risk behaviours among key populations in low-income setting: A meta-analysis, 2001-2016
The aim of this review was to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of behavioural interventions to reduce HIV-related risk behaviours among key populations: people who inject drugs, female...
A global meta-analysis of the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus among people who inject drugs — Do gender-based differences vary by country-level indicators?
BACKGROUND: Women-specific factors exist that increases vulnerability to drug-related harms from injection drug use, including blood-borne viruses (BBVs), but gender-based differences in BBV prevalence have not been systematically examined. METHODS:...