Crack cocaine smoking increases risk of HIV

October 19, 2009

THE CANADIAN PRESS

A new study suggests people who smoke crack cocaine have a dramatically increased risk of becoming infected with HIV.

Those who reported smoking crack cocaine daily were about four times more likely to become infected with the virus that causes AIDS than drug-using peers who smoked crack less often or not at all.

Researchers looked at 1,048 drug users in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside who were HIV-negative, and found 137 of them had contracted the virus by the end of the study nine years later.

Researchers say the findings point to an urgent need for innovative harm-reduction programs like distribution of crack kits and provision of safe inhalation rooms for crack-cocaine smokers.

Principal investigator Dr. Evan Wood of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS says the researchers were not able to determine the exact link between crack smoking and HIV.

But he says mouth wounds caused by crack pipes make people more vulnerable to infection, and association with a higher number of HIV-positive individuals could boost the likelihood of infection through sex and needle sharing.

The study published in this week's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal also found that the use of crack cocaine has risen dramatically over the last several years.

thestar.com

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