Learn the Link - Drugs and HIV

Get the Facts

What are HIV and AIDS?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). AIDS is a disease of the immune system for which there is treatment, but no cure, at the present time. The virus (HIV) and the disease it causes (AIDS) are often linked and referred to as "HIV/AIDS."

HIV can be transferred between people if an infected person's blood or other bodily fluid comes in contact with the blood, broken skin, or mucous membranes of an uninfected person. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding.

HIV destroys a certain kind of white blood cell (CD4+) that is crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. Loss of these CD4+ cells in people with HIV is a key predictor of the development of AIDS. Because of their compromised immune system, people with AIDS often develop serious infections or cancers, and they frequently suffer dangerous weight loss, and diarrhea.¹

Some hopeful news is that, in recent years, HIV is no longer a death sentence, as it was when the epidemic began. This is largely because of treatment with HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), a combination of three or more antiretroviral medications that can suppress the virus and prevent or decrease symptoms of illness.

To learn about current statistics of HIV in the United States, please visit: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics.

Reference

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. About HIV/AIDS. (https://www.cdc.gov/actagainstaids/basics/whatishiv.html). Atlanta, GA: CDC, DHHS. Retrieved November 2017.

How are Drug Misuse and HIV Related?

Drug misuse and addiction have been linked with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. Although injection drug use is well known in this regard, the role that non-injection drug misuse plays in the spread of HIV is less recognized. This is partly due to the addictive and intoxicating effects of many drugs, which can alter judgment and inhibition and lead people to engage in impulsive and unsafe behaviors.

Injection drug use. People typically associate drug misuse and HIV/AIDS with injection drug use and needle sharing. When people who inject drugs share "equipment"—such as needles, syringes, and other drug injection paraphernalia—HIV can be transmitted between users. Other infections, such as hepatitis C, can also be spread this way. Hepatitis C can cause liver disease and permanent liver damage.

Poor judgment and risky behavior. Drug misuse by any route (not just injection) can put a person at risk for getting HIV. Drug and alcohol intoxication affect judgment and can lead to unsafe sexual practices, which put people at risk for getting HIV or transmitting it to someone else.

Biological effects of drugs. Drug misuse and addiction can affect a person's overall health, thereby altering susceptibility to HIV and progression of AIDS. Drugs of abuse and HIV both affect the brain. Research has shown that HIV causes greater injury to cells in the brain and cognitive impairment among people who use methamphetamine than among HIV patients who do not misuse drugs. In animal studies, methamphetamine has been shown to increase the amount of HIV in brain cells.

Drug use disorder treatment. Since the late 1980s, research has shown that drug use disorder treatment is an effective way to prevent the spread of HIV. People who receive treatment stop or reduce their drug use and related risk behaviors, including drug injection and unsafe sexual practices. Drug use disorder treatment programs also serve an important role in providing current information on HIV/AIDS and related diseases, counseling and testing services, and referrals for medical and social services.

Reference

1. Marcondes, M.C. et al. “Methamphetamine increases brain viral load and activates natural killer cells in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys. Am. J. Pathol. 2010. 177(1):355-361.

How are Teens Affected?

Young people are at risk for contracting HIV. In general, middle and late teen years are when young people engage in risk-taking and sensation-seeking behaviors. Unsafe sexual practices increase a person's risk of contracting HIV, and using drugs and alcohol can increase the chances of unsafe behavior by altering judgment and decision-making.

To learn about HIV among youth, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-prevention/