Objectives: To describe the prevalence, distribution and risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among homeless adults using eight Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) clinics nationally.
Methods: Data were collected for 387 participants through blood draws, structured interviews, chart reviews.
Results: Overall prevalence of HCV-antibody positivity was 31.0%, including 70.0% among injection drug users and 15.5% among reported non-injectors. Much HCV infection was hidden as the majority (53.3%) of HCV-antibody positive participants was unaware of their status. Independent risk factors for HCV among the total sample included injection drug use, prison, and tattoos; among injectors, risk factors included prison and three or more years of injection drug use; among reported non-injectors, risk factors included tattoos and prison.
Conclusion: These HCH clinics serve high concentrations of HCV-infected injectors, making these and similar clinics priority intervention sites for aggressive screening, education, testing, and treatment for HCV and other blood-borne diseases.