TreatmentUpdate84 - Vol. 9, No. 10 - pp. 5; December, 1997
Sean Hosein

To understand the relationship between injection drug use, malnutrition and HIV infection, researchers studied 36 women, some of whom were infected with HIV and all of whom injected drugs. In general, the doctors found that the type of immunity needed to control the infections seen in AIDS was severely weakened in both HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected women. Despite detoxification, the damage to the immune system from drug use is not quickly repaired.

Study Details

Researchers enrolled 36 subjects (19 HIV-infected and 17 non-HIV-infected women) who mostly injected heroin, all of whom were undergoing voluntary detoxification during the study. The detoxification had lasted for an average of at least 6 months. Technicians collected blood for testing and also performed a number of skin tests--a crude measure of CMI (cell-mediated immunity).

Results

Researchers found a number of similarities between the 2 groups of women. Although the number of white blood cells, T and B cells were roughly similar, the HIV-infected women had fewer CD4+ cells than the non-HIV-infected women. As well, skin testing revealed that while both groups had reduced CMI, which is the kind of immunity needed to fight many of the infections seen in AIDS, it was weakest in the HIV-infected drug users. These differences between the two groups were statistically significant.

The women, who were clearly malnourished prior to detoxification, each gained weight after detox. The researchers think that even 6 months of detoxification is not enough time for the immune system to recover from the effects of drug addiction. Indeed, even HIV-negative women had severely weakened T-cell function. They also think that malnutrition, which often occurs during addiction, plays a major role in weakening the immune system.

REFERENCES:

1. Varela P, Marcos A, Santacruz I, et al. Human immunodeficiency virus infection and nutritional status in female drug addicts undergoing detoxification: anthropometric and immunologic assessments. American Journal of Nutrition 1997;66:504s-508s.

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