HCV infection in intravenous drug users: Results of the antiviral therapy and the questions of the compliance

Background: Intravenous drug use, tattoo and piercing are recently the most important pathways in the spreading of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Screening for anti-HCV, hepatitis B virus and HIV in intravenous drug users (IDUs) are available in Hungarian Drug Outpatient Clinics. The prevalence of anti-HCV in IDUs is high (60–80%) worldwide and shows a relatively low (20–22%) value in Hungary. Aim: We analyzed the prevalence of IDU in our chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) in IDUs by pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) therapy from 2006 to 2…