Theme: Clinical Research Year: 2024
Background: Infectious diseases (IDs) in drug users are a public health concern. The Mobile Outreach Program (MOP) managed by Ares do Pinhal in Lisbon (Portugal) develops its Harm reduction programs to promote timely screening, diagnosis, and treatment of IDs. It has identified the importance of specialized consultations to improve clinical outcomes.
Methods: Results are based on the medical charts available at the program since the implementation of the decentralized consultation (March 2023 – March 2024) in a formal partnership with Centro Hospital Universitário Lisboa Central (CHULC), which provides gastroenterology consultations for the uses followed at the MOP.
Results: From the 393 users screened for IDs, most are males (90%), averaging 41 years old. With the increase of migrants, 53% were from Portugal, 39% were Asian migrants (mostly from India and Nepal), 3% were from Eastern Europe and 5% were from other European countries. Fifty-eight percent (58%) presented HCV Ab+, of which 40% had active disease -confirmed by Cepheid, GenExepert. Half initiated therapy, 12 were awaiting treatment and 20 were pending blood collection to initiate treatment.
Discussion/Conclusions:
The influx of migrants in Lisbon led to a shift in the target population, with a noticeable increase in Asian migrants, increasing the complexity of IDs management due to language and cultural barriers. These migrants are younger, and had a fragile working status, housing issues, and socioeconomic constraints, underlining the need for a more effective, inclusive and adaptative intervention. Decentralized consultation was key to improving treatment adherence and clinical outcomes in IDs.
Disclosure of Interest Statement:
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.