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Fundamentos: El objetivo principal del presente estudio es analizar las desigualdades de la incidencia de co-enfermedad tuberculosis/drogadicción y de la incidencia de tuberculosis sin drogadicción en los barrios de Barcelona y su asociación con indicadores socioeconómicos y de privación social y material, durante los años 1990-1995. Métodos: Estudio ecológico que incluyó los casos de tuberculosis en personas residentes en la ciudad de Barcelona, siendo el barrio la unidad de análisis. Se consideró a los usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa de 15 a 49 años y a los no usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa mayores de 14 años. Se utilizó la tasa de incidencia anual media de tuberculosis estandarizada por edad. Como indicadores sociales se consideraron: el fenómeno de zona centro, el desempleo, la instrucción insuficiente, el hacinamiento, la conflictividad social y la pobreza extrema. En el análisis bivariado la asociación entre la incidencia de tuberculosis y los indicadores sociales se estudió mediante el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman, y en el análisis multivariado mediante la regresión de Poisson. Resultados: Las tasas de incidencia fueron más elevadas en los barrios del centro de la ciudad, seguido de barrios obreros periféricos de más reciente construcción en los dos colectivos estudiados, y de otros barrios periféricos antiguos en los no usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa. En el colectivo de usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa, las variables asociadas a un mayor riesgo de tuberculosis fueron: ser hombre (RR=7,42, IC 95%: 6,16-8,93), la edad (RR=61,51, IC 95%: 34,64-109,20), el desempleo (RR=1,68, intervalo de confianza al 95% -IC95%-: 1,51-1,88), la conflictividad social (RR=1,29, IC 95%: 1,04-1,58), el hacinamiento (RR=1,36, IC 95%: 1,19-1,55) y el fenómeno de zona centro (RR=1,92, IC 95% 1,48-2,50). En los hombres no usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa se detectó una interacción entre desempleo y edad, y los barrios con pobreza extrema y los barrios céntricos presentaron un riesgo de tuberculosis superior (RR=1,11, IC 95% 1,08-1,135 y RR=1,80, IC95%: 1,51-2,14). En las mujeres no usuarias de drogas por vía intravenosa, se asoció la menor edad (RR=1,29, IC 95%: 1,05-1,57), el desempleo (RR=1,18, IC 95%: 1,09-1,26), la pobreza extrema (RR=1,95, IC 95%: 1,56-2,45)y el fenómeno zona centro (RR=1,72, IC 95%: 1,35-2,19). Conclusión: Las desigualdades en la distribución de la tuberculosis están relacionadas con distintos indicadores sociales como el desempleo y los barrios de zona centro, y son diferentes en los dos colectivos estudiados, relacionándose con la conflictividad social y el hacinamiento en los usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa y con la pobreza extrema en los no usuarios de drogas por vía intravenosa.

The prevalence of vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV), factors associated with vaccination, and missed opportunities for vaccination were assessed among 949 street-recruited young injecting heroin users (IHUs) and noninjecting HUs (NIHUs). A cross-sectional study was carried out in Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. Face-to-face interviews were held using a structured questionnaire with computer-assisted personal interviewing. Dried blood spot samples were tested for anti-HBV core antigen and HBV surface antigen. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed. The prevalence of HBV vaccination was 21.7%, with significant differences among the cities (13.3% in Madrid, 18.4% in Seville, and 33.2% in Barcelona) and between IHUs (23.8%) and NIHUs (17.9%). In the logistic regression analysis, living in Barcelona and being aged 25 years or younger were associated with HBV vaccination in IHUs and NIHUs; in IHUs, vaccination was also associated with living in the street or in institutions for most of the last 12 months. Practically all those susceptible to HBV infection had missed at least one opportunity for vaccination, and most of them had missed such an opportunity in the last year. The proportion of vaccinated HUs remains very low despite efforts to set up harm reduction programs. New and more active strategies must be incorporated in these programs. Keywords: Hepatitis B; Vaccination; Substance-related disorders; Spain; Health policy

International policy on the prevention of HIV and other health problems among drug users should be guided by scientific evidence. However, it has frequently been argued that Needle Exchange Programs (NEPs) have negative effects such as facilitation of injection of illicit drugs, without providing evidence to support this hypothesis. Since the early 1980s Spain has experienced a severe HIV epidemic among drug injectors. A delayed but comprehensive implementation of harm reduction programs has taken place since the early 1990s. This paper assesses trends between 1991 and 2004, both in the number of sterile syringes exchanged or delivered by NEPs or other programs to improve injectors' access to sterile injection material, and in the number of injectors admitted to first treatment for heroin or cocaine dependence, as a proxy for trends in the number of new drug injectors in Spain. The results show increased access to sterile syringes and a sharp decrease in the number of new drug injectors, suggesting that NEPs have not promoted drug injection. A positive overall transition from injecting to smoking was also observed in the most frequent route of heroin or cocaine administration. Keywords: Needle exchange programs; Drug injection; Route of drug administration: Spain; HIV

Abstract Background Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) of opiate users has been studied in treatment settings, where assistance for drug use was sought. In this study we ascertain factors related to HRQL of young opiate users recruited outside treatment facilities, considering both genders separately. Methods Current opiate users (18-30 y) were recruited in outdoor settings in three Spanish cities (Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla). Standardised laptop interviews included socio-demographic data, drug use patterns, health related issues, the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Results A total of 991 subjects (73% males), mean age = 25.7 years were interviewed. The mean global NHP score differed by gender (women: 41.2 (sd:23.8); men:34.1(sd:23.6);p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis was implemented separately by gender, variables independently related with global NHP score, both for males and females, were heroin and cocaine SDS scores. For women, only other drug related variables (alcohol intake and length of cocaine use) were independently associated with their HRQL. HIV+ males who suffered an opiate overdose or had psychiatric care in the last 12 months perceived their health as poorer, while those who had ever been in methadone treatment in the last 12 months perceived it as better. The model with both genders showed all factors for males plus quantity of alcohol and an interaction between gender and HIV status. Conclusions Heroin users were found to be at a considerable risk of impaired HRQL, even in these young ages. A score approaching severity of dependence was the factor with the strongest relation with it.