Abstract
In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations to screen all inmates with a history of injection drug use or other risk factors for hepatitis C. We compared self-reported risk factors for hepatitis C with serostatus from inmates in the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Of the male inmates who were hepatitis C positive, 66% did not report injection drug use. Risk-based testing underestimates the hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in correctional settings and limits the opportunity to diagnose and prevent hepatitis C infection.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
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Validation Study
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Analysis of Variance
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Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
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Bias
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Female
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Hepatitis C / diagnosis*
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Hepatitis C / epidemiology
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Hepatitis C / etiology
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Humans
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Male
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Mandatory Testing
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Mass Screening / methods*
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Mass Screening / standards
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Middle Aged
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Population Surveillance
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Practice Guidelines as Topic
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Prevalence
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Prisoners / statistics & numerical data*
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Rhode Island / epidemiology
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Risk Assessment
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Risk Factors
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Seroepidemiologic Studies*
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Substance Abuse, Intravenous / complications
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Substance Abuse, Intravenous / diagnosis*
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Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*