Special problems of injecting drug-misusers

Abstract
Injecting drug-misusers are at risk of severe bacterial and/or blood borne viral infections such as hepatitis B. More recently the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) spread to drug-misusers and now accounts for 17% of cases of AIDS in the USA. By comparison only 2% of cases in the UK are due to injecting drug misuse. However, like the rest of Europe, HIV is beginning to spread to drug-misusers and in Edinburgh 50% are infected. The consequences of HIV infection in drug-misusers is discussed together with the current management which is aimed at reducing both progression to AIDS and further spread of the virus.

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