Hepatitis in Non-Hospitalized Young Drug Addicts

Abstract

An investigation on serum hepatitis among non-hospitalized young drug addicts in Oslo was carried out in the spring of 1971. 93 of 147 persons injected drugs intravenously. The mean age was approximately 20 years. Signs of hepatitis were found in 21 drug addicts; 19 of these used drugs intravenously. Approximately 9% of the intravenous users were Au antigen-positive, half of these were non-icteric and one had normal liver function tests. 32% of the drug addicts with hepatitis were Au-positive. Those who used their own injection equipment (11%) had normal liver function tests.