THE PREVALENCE OF HIV IN INJECTING DRUG USERS (IDUS) IN IRAN AFTER 2005: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background and Aim : In Iran, injecting drug use has been the major route of HIV transmission. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the HIV prevalence among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) after 2005 in Iran.Methods : A systematic search was performed in the international (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Embase), regional (IMEMR), and national (Barakat knowledge network system) databases in November 2018. The studies with HIV testing on IDUs (confirmed diagnosis of HIV through repeating the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or western immunoblot assay (WB)) conducted from 2005 onward were screened, qualitatively assessed by two investigators separately, and HIV prevalence rates were pooled and stratified in several categories.Results : Results: A total of 8361 records were obtained. Twenty-seven studies were included, which were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of HIV in IDUs from 2005 to 2018 was 12.7% (95% CI: 10.3-15.1). The prevalence of HIV was higher in current IDUs compared to lifetime IDUs [14.6% (95% CI: 11.2-18.0) vs. 7.3% (95% CI: 5.1- 9.5)]. IDUs above 25 years of age and those with history of sharing needle and syringe in lifetime were 2.65 (95% CI: 1.88-3.74) and 2.7 (1.39- 3.38) times more likely to be infected with HIV than IDUs of 25 years old and less, and those with no history of needle/syringe sharing, respectively.Conclusion : Conclusion: The HIV status in IDUs is concentrated in Iran. It is necessary to promote the coverage and the quality of harm reduction services to high-risk groups such as IDUs who have more than 25 years old and those with history of sharing needle and syringe.

کلیدواژه ها:

HIV ، Substance Abuse ، Intravenous ، Systematic review ، Prevalence