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Abstract: 

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the most significant causative agents of viral hepatitis in the incarcerated patient population. They share a common route of transmission, namely intravenous drug use (IVDU), which is widely prevalent in the past history of U.S. inmates. Hepatitis B can also be transmitted very efficiently through sexual intercourse. The majority of viral hepatitis infections are acquired before incarceration, although correctional facilities also represent a high-risk environment for transmission because of a continued high incidence of drug use and high-risk behaviors, including sexual intercourse, occurring in the prison setting.

Keywords: Superinfection, permucosal, percutaneous, liver disease, cirrhosis, virological markers, biopsy

Affiliations:  1: Middlesex County Jail, Cambridge, Massachusetts.