Evaluation of the Impact of HIV Serostatus on the Hepatitis C Virus Care Cascade and Injection Drug Use Among Persons Initiating Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Abstract

Background: Persons who inject drugs are at increased risk for acquiring hepatitis C virus (HCV). Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are associated with reduced injection drug use (IDU) frequency among persons with opioid use disorder (OUD). However, whether HCV treatment uptake or changes in IDU frequency differ by HIV serostatus among persons receiving MOUD is incompletely understood. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed of data collected from 2 prospective cohort studies of participants with (PWH) or without HIV with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition-diagnosed OUD who were initiated on methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone. Results: Of 129 participants, 78 (60.5%) were HCV antibody positive. PWH underwent increased HCV viral load testing (76.7% vs 43.3%; P =. 028), but HCV treatment rates did not differ (17.6% vs 10.0%; P =. 45) by HIV status. Participants without HIV reported a greater reduction in mean opioid IDU at 90 days (10.7 vs 2.0 fewer days out of 30; P