Offering HCV treatment to prisoners is an important opportunity: key principles based on policy and practice assessment in Europe.

BACKGROUND: Prisoners have a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but may find it difficult to access healthcare services. This may be related to risk behaviour including history of injecting drugs and marginalisation related to problem drug use/ opioid use disorder (OUD). Direct-acting antiviral products with superior efficacy and safety compared to interferon-based regimens offer HCV cure. Many citizens in Europe have been treated, although few received therapy in prisons. METHODS: Analysis of prisoner HCV treatment need and policy determinants of clinical practice was completed for 5 EU countries. Evidence was collected from national statistical sources and peer-reviewed publications to describe prison populations and HCV prevalence, to map national prison/ HCV health policy or guidance. A consensus of important principles for prisoner HCV care was developed. RESULTS: Data from published sources describing prisoner HCV prevalence is limited. Prisoner population requiring HCV treatment is not known; estimated numbers based on analysis of evidence: England and Wales, 9000, France, 8000, Spain, 6000, Italy, 6000, Germany, 6000. Treatment access: national law defines right to equivalent care in all countries implying access to HCV therapy in prison similar to community; useful prisoner HCV guidance facilitating treatment decisions present in: 4 of 5 national/ regional HCV policy documents, 4 of 5 national prison healthcare policies. Four of five had practical prison HCV clinical guidelines. Despite existence of policy, implementation of guidance, and so HCV treatment, is suboptimal in many locations. CONCLUSIONS: Prison is an important location to detect, address and treat HCV infection in people who may be underserved for healthcare and find it difficult to navigate community treatment pathways. This is often related to problems with OUD and resulting social inequity. HCV management in prisons must be improved. Policy and clinical practice guidance must be set to promote treatment, and practical steps to make treatment easy should be followed including education to promote engagement, set-up of optimal screening and work up processes with modern tools to reduce time needed/ achieve efficiency; programs to make it easier to get specialists' input include remote working and nurse-led services.

Hepatitis C and B prevalence in Spanish prisons.

Purpose The Prevalhep study seeks to determine the prevalence of factors associated with the hepatitis C (HCV) and B (HBV) virus in Spanish prisoners. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional study which randomly selected 18 Spanish prisons to participate, with 21 prisoners per centre. Results There were 378 prisoners selected, 370 of whom had serological HCV and 342 had HBV data. The HCV population was predominantly male (91.6%), middle age (66.7% ≤ 40 years of age), of Spanish origin (60.5%), with a history of injection drug use (IDU; 23.2%), in prison <5 years (71.2%) and having entered prison after 2006 (51.9%). The prevalence of HCV was 22.7% (n = 84; 95% CI, 18.3-27.1) and HBV was 2.6% (n = 9; 95% CI, 0.2-4.9%). Of the patients with HCV, 40.5% were co-infected with HIV, 0.3% co-infected with HBV, and 1.5% with triple virus co-infection (HBV + HCV + HIV). The three markers of HB had been measured in 99 inmates: 32.1% had post-vaccination immunity (antiHBS+) and 30.4% contact status with HBV (HBcAb + and/or HBsAg+), while 37.5% were susceptible to HB. Conclusions The prevalence of HBV and HCV has decreased in the Spanish prison population, probably as a result of decrease in IDU transmission, and an increase in immigrant prisoner population that does not have this risk behaviour.

[Multi-centre study of the prevalence of infection from HIV and associated factors in Spanish prisons]. / Estudio multicéntrico de Prevalencia de Infección por el VIH y factores asociados en las prisiones de España.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of HIV infection amongst inmates in Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational and transversal study (June 2008). For 62,000 inmates an "n" of 364 was determined (5% variability, error correction α 5% and 10% missing). 18 prisons were randomly selected and 21 inmates/prison. Frequency measurement: prevalence. Magnitude of the association: odds ratio of prevalence (ORP) with 95%. Statistical significance p<0.05. RESULTS: 371 prisoners were studied (91.6% male, 66.9% ≤ 40 years, 60.6% Spanish, 23.5% IDU and 71.2% incarcerated <5 years). HIV prevalence was 10.8% (CI: 7.5 to 14). 85% were co-infected with HCV, 12.5% with HBV and HCV and 63.2% with M. tuberculosis. This represents a proportion to the prison population of 9.2%, 1.3% and 6.7% respectively. HIV infection was associated with: a) > 40 years (p <0.01), b) imprisoned> 5 years (p <0.001), c) non-Arab (p <0.01), d) Spanish nationality (p <0.001), e) IDUs (p <0.001), f) co-infected with HCV (p <0.001), and g) co-infected with HBV (p <0.001]. Multivariate analysis confirmed the association: a) ≥ 40 years [OR = 2.66 (CI : 1.16-6.07), b) IDU [OR = 28.08 (IC-9.61-81.99), c) infected with HCV [OR = 6.96 (CI :1.90-25.39)], and d) infected with HBV [OR = 13.52 (CI = 1.76-103.82). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HIV infection among prisoners in Spain is 10.8%. Those that are infected are usually IDUs and over 40 years. 85% are co-infected with HCV and 12.5% with HBV and HCV.

[Reasons for not initating HCV treatment in prison: a subanalysis of the EPIBAND study]. / Causas de no inicios al tratamiento de la hepatitis C en el medio penitenciario: subanálisis del estudio EPIBAND.

OBJECTIVE: This sub-analysis was designed within the framework of the EPIBAND study to establish the reasons why prison patients do not initiate HCV treatment. METHODS: Epidemiological, prospective, multicentre study conducted in 26 centres. We present the results from those patients included in the EPIBAND study who did not initiate HCV treatment for different reasons. RESULTS: A total of 195 patients were evaluated (average age 39 ± 6.6 years, 86.7% male and 96.9% Spanish nationality). The reasons why this population did not initiate HCV treatment were secondary ones relating to the patient (41%), medical reasons (30.8%), and the prison environment (3.6%). 47.5% of patients reported lack of awareness and motivation, and 18.8% did not initiate treatment as a result of adverse events. Immunological status (35%). as well as psychiatric and neurological disorders (28.3%) were the main medical reasons for contraindication. Aspects associated to prison environment such as impending release or change of prison (64.4%) were among the various reasons that influenced treatment initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of motivation and awareness in patients as well as adverse events were the main reasons for not initiating therapy. These factors are subjective, modifiable aspects that depend on patient education and adequate medical care.

[What do prison doctors think about HIV infection control in Spanish prisons?: Results of the study of the Spanish Society of Prison Health Working Group on Infectious Diseases (GEISESP)]. / ¿Qué opinan los médicos penitenciarios sobre el control de la infección por el VIH en las prisiones españolas?: Resultados del Estudio del Grupo de Trabajo en Enfermedades Infecciosas de la Sociedad Española de Sanidad Penitenciaria (GEISESP).

We present the results of the study carried out by The Spanish Society of Penitentiary Health Working Group on Infectious Diseases (GEISESP) on the opinion of prison doctors concerning the suitability of undertaking or not undertaking controls of HIV infection in prisons and about the difficulties, efforts, needs and responsibilities that this activity may involve. This study was carried out in 2007 using an ad hoc survey designed and sent to doctors at 73 prisons in Spain. 116 valid questionnaires were received. It was considered that the data received could be applied to the whole population with a level of trust of 95% and an 8% margin of error. Half the doctors referred to prescribing antiretroviral treatments, though only 10% admitted prescribing rescue combinations. It should be noted that only of half the doctors consider themselves to be appropriately prepared to deal with patients infected by the HIV virus, though half of them admit to having received specific postgraduate training on this subject. Generally speaking, doctors consider that the quality of the health care received by the HIV-infected population is quite good.

Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance mutations among Spanish prison inmates.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyse the prevalence of HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations among HIV-1-infected prison inmates in Spain. Treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients with an HIV RNA viral load of >/=2,000 copies/ml were included. To ensure that the study population was representative of the entire HIV-infected Spanish inmate population, a two-stage conglomerate for selection of the sample was used. In the first stage, 15 prisons were randomly selected, and in the second stage, 38 patients (30 treatment-experienced and 8 treatment-naive) per centre were randomly selected. Genotyping was performed by automatic sequencing. Resistance testing was performed on viral strains from 184 inmates from 12 prisons. Valid sequences were obtained from 133 inmates (90 treatment-experienced and 43 treatment-naive inmates). Most (92.5%) were men and had acquired HIV infection by intravenous drug use (91%); their mean age was 35 years. One or more key resistance mutations were detected in 5 (11.6%) treatment-naive and in 35 (38.6%) treatment-experienced patients. Among treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients, resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors was found in 3 (6.9%) and in 20 (22.2%) patients, respectively, resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in 3 (6.9%) and in 21 (23.3%) patients, and resistance to protease inhibitors in 3 (6.9%) and in 14 (15.5%) patients. Multidrug resistance was detected in 1 of the 43 (2.3%) treatment-naive patients. These findings support the use of resistance testing in HIV-infected inmates who must begin antiretroviral therapy, given the high rate of primary resistance to drugs frequently included in the initial treatment regimens.