Is the History of Substance Abuse Correlated with Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Co-morbid HIV Infection? An Urban Population Study

Abstract

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a serious immunological disease with new infections in the U.S. disproportionately reported in minority populations. For many years, the District of Columbia (DC) has reported the highest HIV infection rate in the nation. Drug abuse and addiction is also prevalent in DC and has traditionally been linked to HIV/AIDS because of the likelihood for opportunistic infections. Despite this data, the relationship between HIV status, drugs of abuse, and the incidence of neurological disorders are scarcely reported for minority populations. Method We carried out a retrospective study on the prevalence of substance abuse in HIV and their association with neuropsychiatric comorbidities in an African American subpopulation in Washington DC. Findings Our data suggests an 86 percent prevalence of drug use in the HIV patients with neuropsychiatric comorbidities, with cocaine use being significantly higher in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), whereas PCP use was associated with patients with schizophrenia. The mean CD4 count was elevated in patients with neuropsychiatric disease, and specifically in MDD patients. CD8 counts were elevated as expected for HIV status but were not influenced by disease diagnosis. A majority (2/3) of patients were on HAART therapy, however the records did not account for adherence. Conclusion These data suggest that neuropsychiatric comorbidities are independent of HIV disease progression but are correlated with certain illicit drugs of abuse.

Engaging Adolescents in the Fight Against Drug Abuse and Addiction: A Concept Mapping Approach

“…The intergenerational effects of addiction highlight the importance of engaging all who are directly or indirectly affected in identifying solutions to reduce and eventually eradicate addiction within families and communities. Drug addiction has been associated with several adverse health, social and legal consequences (Bassey et al, 2018; Kim & Park, 2019), especially in marginalized communities who are often disproportionately burdened with the costs of substance use (Friedman et al, 2016; J. Lee et al, 2018).…”

“…Substance abuse is a significant public health problem that causes considerable harm to individuals, families, and societies (Henry & Augustyn, 2017; Solis et al, 2012). Alcohol and other psychoactive drug use is associated with population-wide negative health impacts, such as violent behavior, psychiatric disorders, risky sexual behaviors, neurological impairment, and adverse health effects linked to prenatal drug exposure (Bassey et al, 2018; Bosma-Bleeker & Blaauw, 2018; Vaiserman, 2013; Yang et al, 2018). Furthermore, over 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017, including the use of illicit drugs and the misuse of prescription opioids, representing a two-fold increase within the past decade (National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).…”