The relationship between injection drug use risk behaviors and markers of immune activation
Abstract
High levels of immune activation are reported for people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies of the relationship between injection behaviors and immune activation have yielded mixed results, in part due to lack of control for HCV in analyses. This study, of 48 HIV-seronegative PWID, examines this relationship controlling for HCV viremia. Frequency of injection was positively related to markers of immune activation (sCD14, %CD8+CD38+HLADR+T cells), as was duration of injection (hs-CRP and D-dimer). Sharing injection equipment was not related to markers studied. Findings suggest that efforts to encourage injection cessation or reduction in frequency can have positive health benefits through reducing immune activation.
Full citation:
Deren S, Cleland CM, Lee H, Mehandru S, Markowitz M (2017). The relationship between injection drug use risk behaviors and markers of immune activation
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 75 (1), e8-e12. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001270. PMCID: PMC5388567.