A recent study has found that tattooing was independently associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, even in those without traditional risk factors (Hepatology 2013; 57: 2117-23).
The authors of this large, multicenter, case-control study analyzed demographics and risk factors for HCV among 3,871 patients including 1,930 who had chronic HCV infection. As in previous studies, a history of injection drug use (IDU) and blood transfusion prior to 1992 were associated with an increased risk of HCV.
After excluding patients with these risk factors, there were 465 patients with HCV and 1,421 controls. Among these individuals, after controlling for age, sex and ethnicity, HCV-positive patients had an OR of 5.17 of having had one or more tattoos compared to the control patients.
Previous studies have not been definitive about whether tattoos represent a specific risk factor or an epiphenomenon. That is, tattoos are known to be more common among individuals with IDU. And, this study does not really settle the question either. “Underrepresentation due to self-reporting of intravenous drug use is a concern that could confound our result.” In addition, the authors note that commercial parlors have not been implicated in HCV transmission.
Bottomline: Individuals with tattoos are more likely to have HCV. For individuals who insist on tattoos, avoid nonprofessional settings to limit the risk of HCV acquisition.
Related blog posts:
gutsandgrowth 