Association Seen Between Crack Smoking and HIV Infection

Association Seen Between Crack Smoking and HIV Infection
October 21, 2009

Research Summary

Individuals who smoke crack cocaine daily are more likely contract the AIDS virus, but researchers are not sure why, Reuters reported Oct. 19.

Researchers who studied addicts in the Downtown Eastside section of Vancouver said that no such associations were seen when the study began in 1996, but the link between crack use and HIV seem to have grown over the years. Daily crack smokers in the neighborhood are now four times more likely to be HIV-positive than those who smoke less or abstain from use of the drug.

Among the possible reasons for the association: HIV transmission when users with mouth wounds share crack pipes, or engaging in unprotected sex while high.

The authors suggested that supervised drug-use programs could help prevent the spread of HIV among users and provide an opportunity for addiction interventions and treatment.

The research was published Oct. 19, 2009 in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Pete on 22 Oct 09 12:53 PM EDT

No offense, but there must be a fortune to be made by researching the totally obvious. How about some research to see if sedentary lifestyles and eating way too many calories might have some connection to the current obesity epidemic? Or, let's research whether lack of sleep can lead to daytime fatigue and drowsiness.

Posted by jed on 22 Oct 09 01:06 PM EDT

I work in a treatment program and nearly all of the women are engaged in prostitution to get money to fuel their habit. They get paid more if they allow their johns to have sex without using a condom.

Posted by Rachel on 22 Oct 09 02:50 PM EDT

I was just laughing with my coworkers and talking about the same thing Pete just said. What a waste of money! Who's paying for all that excellent research anyway?

Posted by Steve Buchness on 23 Oct 09 08:37 AM EDT

The "harm prevention" suggestion of supervised usage as a possible intervention and treatment opportunity reminds me of the earlier article from the UK about heroin maintenance. That study demonstrated that heroin maintenance was more effective in keeping treatment resistant clients engaged than other treatment options. "Treatment" can cover a fairly broad range of activity, but moving active using from in-situ settings to clinical settings as the primary goal should be identified as something other than treatment: "Containment Efforts" perhaps?

Posted by lisa on 23 Oct 09 02:48 PM EDT

I think it might be time for these researchers to step out of the ivory tower and join us in the real world. I'm thinking that it wouldn't take long for them to figure out the association. Crack smoking and HIV??? It's a mind-bender. Let's hope our government doesn't authorize millions to solve the "mystery."

Posted by Peter on 26 Oct 09 11:39 AM EDT

Personaly I like facts, figures and hard data instead of pre-conceived notions about "what everybody knows" which is often based on what one wants to hear instead of what one needs to hear. Just because unprotected sex in the turmoil of the street scene helps to spread STD's doesn't mean that crack addicts with burnt and blistered lips who share pipes don't spread infection. Distracting by diverting the issue sounds like denial to me. Anyone who's trying to show me different is not succeeding.

Study Says Vancouver Injection Site Caters to Longtime Users, Not New Addicts

Drive to Make Naloxone More Available in U.K.

'Paco' Emerges as Devastating Drug Problem in Argentina

Crack Pipe Handout Ends

Substitution maintenance therapy in the management of opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS prevention

The DAWN Report: New Data on Drug-Related Hospital Emergency Department Visits, 2006