Association Seen Between Crack Smoking and HIV Infection

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.