The epidemic of illicit intravenous drug use (IVDU) in the United States has been accompanied by a surge in drug overdose deaths and infectious sequelae. Candida albicans infections were associated with injection of contaminated impure brown heroin in the 1970s-1990s; however, candidiasis accompanying IVDU became considerably rarer as the purity of the heroin supply increased. We reviewed cases...

Tricuspid valve infective endocarditis is a known complication of injecting drug use (IVDU) and is said to be rare in Africa. The most common etiological microbial agent of infective endocarditis (IE) in IVDU is Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic treatment should start immediately after blood cultures have been obtained once IE is diagnosed. Treatment of IE in patients with...

OBJECTIVES This study explored the demographic characteristics of hepatitis C patients in the Kota Setar (KS) district, Kedah, Malaysia, the prevalence of intravenous drug use (IVDU) as a risk factor among these patients, and the associations between IVDU and demographic characteristics. METHODS Retrospective data pertaining to 713 patients from January 2009 to December 2013 were retrieved fr...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is epidemic among intravenous drug users (IVDU), particularly in the northeastern United States. IVDU are playing a critical role in the spread of HIV by infecting their heterosexual partners and children, as well as their needle-sharing partners. The epidemiology of HIV infection among IVDU is reviewed here, including a compilation of seroprevalence...

BACKGROUND Chronic renal disease is a serious complication of long-term intravenous drug use (IVDU). Recent reports have postulated a changing pattern of underlying nephropathy over the last decades. METHODS Retrospective investigation including all patients with prior or present IVDU that underwent renal biopsy because of chronic kidney disease between 01.04.2002 and 31.03.2012 in the city o...

Intravenous drug use (IVDU) can lead to numerous complications from skin abscesses to bacteremia to endocarditis. Here, we present a rare case of acute suppurative thyroiditis as a complication of IVDU, in which a 26-year-old female with a past medical history of IVDU presented to the emergency department for evaluation of a large right sided neck mass. On exam, she had signs of sepsis and thyr...

A data-based mathematical model was formulated to assess the epidemiological consequences of heterosexual, intravenous drug use (IVDU) and perinatal transmission in New York City (NYC). The model was analysed to clarify the relationship between heterosexual and IVDU transmission and to provide qualitative and quantitative insights into the HIV epidemic in NYC. The results demonstrated the signi...

INTRODUCTION Ruptured mycotic pseudoaneurysms are one of the ways IVDU patients can present in extremis. The principles of treatment include arterial ligation for haemorrhage control but can leave patients vulnerable subsequent limb ischaemia. PRESENTATION OF CASE We report a female IVDU presenting with abdominal pain and sepsis. Imaging demonstrated haemorrhage from an external iliac pseudoa...

The present study aimed to describe the cognitive status of a group of HIV-positive asymptomatic intravenous drug users (IVDU) and changes which occurred over a 12-month follow-up period. Forty-two HIV positive IVDU were selected and matched for age, sex, educational level and pattern of drug abuse with 39 seronegative IVDU controls. Baseline and follow-up evaluation included neuropsychological...

Tuberculosis (TB), yet an endemic disease in Romania with a high prevalence compared to the average European incidence, had a slight descendent curve. But in the last 3 years we noticed a new phenomenon: an epidemic of tuberculosis among newly HIV infected intravenous drug users (IVDU). Objective: to determine the incidence, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the new TB cases and T...