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In some studies of HIV-infected patients, treatment outcomes have tended to be worse among injection-drug users (IDUs) than among nonusers. However, this disparity is more likely due to problems with access and adherence than to any intrinsic differences between the two groups in terms of response to HIV-specific therapy. Research conducted in the setting of coordinated treatment programs has shown that potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens have the same benefits in IDUs as in non-IDUs. Few studies, however, have compared mortality rates between HIV-infected and uninfected IDUs since the advent of ART.
In the present study, investigators evaluated mortality trends among 1181 IDUs who enrolled in a hospital-based substance-abuse treatm…