HCV prevalence and risk behaviours among injectors of new psychoactive substances in a risk environment in Hungary—An expanding public health burden

Tarján, Anna; Dudás, Mária; Wiessing, Lucas; Horváth, Gergely; Rusvai, Erzsébet; Tresó, Bálint; Csohán, Ágnes

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.11.006

Cited by 25 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The long‐term health consequences of injecting these new synthetic stimulants are still unknown, but some alarming trends have been reported. Among them is the elevated risk of transmission of HCV and HIV infection associated with the injection of NPS in Hungary which is attributable to high‐risk behaviours such as syringe sharing, daily injection, imprisonment and homelessness in the past year, relative to primary opioid and amphetamine injectors …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the scale of the phenomenon in terms of spatial diffusion, prevalence and affected populations varies across Europe. Data from police seizures, needle and syringe programmes, and research studies suggest NPS use is increasing in Hungary . National data collected by the REITOX Hungarian National Focal Point (HNFP) indicate NPS injection tripled among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Hungary between 2011 and 2015, from 26 to 80% .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data from police seizures, needle and syringe programmes, and research studies suggest NPS use is increasing in Hungary . National data collected by the REITOX Hungarian National Focal Point (HNFP) indicate NPS injection tripled among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Hungary between 2011 and 2015, from 26 to 80% . HNFP collects self‐reported data annually among registered clients at needle and syringe programmes in Hungary assessing the primary drug injected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By 2013, the number of NPS seizures outnumbered those of ‘traditional’ substances in the national seizures statistics . The consumption of NPS has been reported in problem drug users and recreational drug users as well. However, the prevalence of lifetime NPS use among 16‐year‐old pupils (10.7% lifetime prevalence – LTP – of ‘designer drug’ use) and among 18‐ to 34‐year‐old adults (4.2% LTP of synthetic cannabinoid use, 2.7% LTP of ‘new stimulant’ use) in Hungary is lower than in most European countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the prevalence of lifetime NPS use among 16‐year‐old pupils (10.7% lifetime prevalence – LTP – of ‘designer drug’ use) and among 18‐ to 34‐year‐old adults (4.2% LTP of synthetic cannabinoid use, 2.7% LTP of ‘new stimulant’ use) in Hungary is lower than in most European countries. At the same time cathinones are self‐reported as preferred among PWID . Because of the rapidly evolving market of NPS and the fast emergence of new compounds, little is known about the actual compounds injected by PWID.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Drug residues in syringes and other injecting paraphernalia in Hungary

Péterfi

Csorba²,

Figeczki³

et al. 2017

Drug Testing and Analysis

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The appearance and spread of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a phenomenon seen throughout Europe since 2008. Synthetic cathinones, a group of NPS, have been self-reported as the drug injected by the vast majority of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Hungary. This study aims at updating our knowledge of what exactly are the compounds injected by PWID. This multi-site study analysed residues from used injecting drug paraphernalia collected from PWID via low-threshold services and from public places in Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Békéscsaba and Pécs between March 2015 and February 2016. The paper describes the results of the chemical analysis of 2985 analytical samples created out of the 22 005 objects collected in this period. Active agents and their occurrences (compound cases) were identified using GC-MS. The study detected 161 different compounds, mostly synthetic cathinones (29%), non-psychoactive compounds (14%), amines (12%), non-psychoactive medications (12%) and other substances (32%). Of the 12 762 compound cases, 50% were cathinones, 18% substitution medications, 9% non-controlled psychoactive substances and 24% other substances. Among compound cases, the most frequent cathinones were pentedrone (21%) and α-PHP (12%). Among substitution medications, most were methadone (93%), and non-controlled psychoactive substances were caffeine (74%) and nicotine (21%). Overall, the most prevalent substances were methadone (16%), pentedrone (10%) and caffeine (7%) with considerable variation detected among participating cities. Our results are consistent with previous self-reported data showing a high prevalence of synthetic cathinone injection among PWID in Hungary. We also detected a large-scale misuse of methadone by PWID.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Drug residues in syringes and other injecting paraphernalia in Hungary

Péterfi

Csorba²,

Figeczki³

et al. 2017

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Synthetic Cathinones—Prevalence and Motivations for Use

Corkery

Guirguis

Papanti

et al. 2018

Current Topics in Neurotoxicity

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New Psychoactive Substances in the Homeless Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

Coombs

Ginige

Calster

et al. 2023

Int J Ment Health Addiction

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The last few years have seen the emergence of new psychoactive substance among the homeless population, specifically synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and experiences of new psychoactive substances amongst users from the homeless population. An explanatory research design was applied using a semi-structured questionnaire with the focus on gaining insights on the prevalence, motivations and effects. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from support organisations and charities UK-wide. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied to analyse the data obtained from participant surveys. A total of 105 participants met the inclusion criteria and were in the age range of 18 to 64 years old. Almost 70% consumed new psychoactive substance products, which “Spice” was the most prevalent substance. Homeless users had consumed new psychoactive substance to escape reality and to self-treat themselves and stopped consumption due to the adverse effects. Adverse events were reported from the majority of the participants and led to more than 20% of the participants requiring medical treatment following hospitalisation. Findings from this study can contribute to the development of guidelines and policies that specifically address the needs of the homeless population who use new psychoactive substances.

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HCV prevalence and risk behaviours among injectors of new psychoactive substances in a risk environment in Hungary—An expanding public health burden

Cited by 25 publications

References 34 publications

Drug residues in syringes and other injecting paraphernalia in Hungary

Drug residues in syringes and other injecting paraphernalia in Hungary

Synthetic Cathinones—Prevalence and Motivations for Use

New Psychoactive Substances in the Homeless Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

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