The burgeoning HIV/HCV syndemic in the urban Northeast: HCV, HIV, and HIV/HCV coinfection in an urban setting

Despite recommendations for generation-based HCV and once lifetime HIV screening, thousands of individuals in the U.S. still remain untested and undiagnosed. This cross-sectional study examines the correlates of HCV and HIV monoinfection and HIV/HCV coinfection in an urban Northeast setting. Utilizing an electronic database from a mobile medical clinic in New Haven, CT from January 2003 to July 2011, 8,311 individuals underwent structured health assessment and screening for HIV and HCV. HIV [N = 601 (8.0%)] and HCV [N = 753 (10.1%)] infection were identified, and 197 (26.1%) of the 753 with HCV were coinfected with HIV. Both monoinfection and coinfection status were independently correlated with crack cocaine use and increasing age. HIV/HCV coinfection was correlated with men having sex with men (MSM) (AOR = 38.53, p