Principal Investigators: Dr Ryan Buchanan

Team members: Dr Ryan Buchanan (Academic Clinical Lecturer Hepatology,  Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton), Professor Salim Khakoo (Professor of Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton), Dr Charlotte Cook (Hepatology Research Fellow, University Hospital Southampton), Dr  Mark Wright (University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust), Charlotte Matthews (Southampton City Council), Dr Gemma Ward (Public Health England), Colin McAllister (Southampton City CCG), Stuart Smith (Hepatitis C Trust), Mark Wright (NHS England, Wessex Operational Delivery Network for Hepatitis C), Pamela Campbell (Solent NHS Trust, Homeless Healthcare Team)

Start: 1 December 2019

Ends: 1 January 2024

Project Partners: University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Solent NHS Trust, NHS England, Public Health England, Southampton City CCG, Southampton City Council, Hepatitis C Trust.

Lay summary:The people at highest risk of Hepatitis C (HCV) in the United Kingdom (UK) are those who are sharing needles, syringes or injecting equipment. This includes people who inject performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) such as steroids.This population are high users of needle and syringe programmes, however, the risks taken by this population and their access to testing for HCV are poorly understood.

The information that is available is not consistent, with the proportion of people with HCV varying widely but may be as high as one in seven PIED users.  The study has been discussed in detail with bodybuilders, a gym owner, pharmacists and people who work at needle and syringe programmes (NSPs). The bodybuilders were very keen to be involved in the study as they want to have accurate, scientifically performed studies. They feel strongly that the information that is out there currently is not representative of their community that use PIEDs. They also felt that it was important that to have a focus on HCV but they were keen to be involved in a study that also addresses at other elements of liver health. The methodology for the study were discussed and adapted after patient and public involvement (PPI) meetings.The aim of this study is to see if widening access to testing of HCV based in community pharmacies with a pathway into specialist care is able to provide improved and acceptable access to testing and treatment compared with standard care. We also want to gain a better understanding of the burden of HCV in this group of people who are using PIEDs, and an understanding of risk behaviours. We will also investigate knowledge of liver disease caused by other factors (e.g. alcohol and obesity). This will be done via interviews with bodybuilders to understand more about their behaviour and the risks they take. This will be followed by a survey with an associated HCV test and measurement of liver scarring. The information gained from the interviews, surveys and tests will give a far greater understanding of this population and their risk of HCV. This information can then be used to target at-risk groups and to adapt current approaches with the aim of elimination. The results will be disseminated in medical journals and presented at medical conferences. 

Publications

doi.org/10.1111/jvh.13207 https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riac064 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2022-BASL.130 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2021-BASL.40