Crack Cocaine Accelerates the Progression of HIV Disease

In a cohort of HIV-infected women, crack users had higher rates of new AIDS-defining illness and lower rates of 8-year survival than did nonusers.

In vitro data suggest that cocaine directly increases the progression of HIV disease, both by interfering with immune response and by enhancing viral replication. Although some epidemiologic studies support this observation, the findings have not been consistent, particularly among women. Now, investigators have analyzed patterns of crack cocaine use and measures of HIV disease progression among 1686 participants in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study.

Substance abuse and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) were self-reported at study visits every 6 months between April 1996 and September 2004. Analyses were controlled for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, baseline viral load and CD4-cell count, year of HIV diagnosis, study site, a…

Reviewing Author

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Crack Cocaine Accelerates the Progression of HIV Disease

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Reviewing Author