Septicemia and Bacterial Endocarditis Resulting From Heroin Addiction

Hussey, Hugh H.

doi:10.1001/jama.1944.02850440007003

Cited by 37 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The list of infections associated with opiates continued to increase during the 1900s (89,90). Also, experimental evidence began to accumulate during this time demonstrating the detrimental effects of opiates on immunity in humans and animals (90,115,116,123,187). For example, Cantacuzene demonstrated in the late 1890s that morphine-treated guinea pigs had altered phagocytosis and leukocyte trafficking (36).…”

Section: Opiate Effects On Immunity and Susceptibility To Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Infections, Immunomodulation, and Drugs of Abuse

2003

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The use of recreational drugs of abuse has generated serious health concerns. There is a long-recognized relationship between addictive drugs and increased levels of infections. Studies of the mechanisms of actions of these drugs became more urgent with the advent of AIDS and its correlation with abused substances. The nature and mechanisms of immunomodulation by marijuana, opiates, cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol are described in this review. Recent studies of the effects of opiates or marijuana on the immune system have demonstrated that they are receptor mediated, occurring both directly via specific receptors on immune cells and indirectly through similar receptors on cells of the nervous system. Findings are also discussed that demonstrate that cocaine and nicotine have similar immunomodulatory effects, which are also apparently receptor mediated. Finally, the nature and mechanisms of immunomodulation by alcohol are described. Although no specific alcohol receptors have been identified, it is widely recognized that alcohol enhances susceptibility to opportunistic microbes. The review covers recent studies of the effects of these drugs on immunity and on increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, including AIDS

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Section: Opiate Effects On Immunity and Susceptibility To Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Infections, Immunomodulation, and Drugs of Abuse

2003

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“…The earliest documented concern about the possibility of transmission of infective organisms is from Eulenburg [151] who drew attention to the possibility of transmission of syphilis through use of needles during the hypodermic administration of drugs. Early reports of infectious complications of sharing injecting equipment include the outbreak of malaria among injecting heroin users in Egypt in the late 1920s [152,153] and in New York in the early 1930s [154,155], septicaemia and bacterial endocarditis [156], and the recognition of the transmission of viral hepatitis among injecting heroin addicts [157] and the identification of the extent of hepatitis B infection among these populations in the United Kingdom [9,[158][159][160] and elsewhere [10]. Of those infected with hepatitis B, about 5-10% will develop chronic hepatitis B infection which carries with it a high risk of lateonset development of acute on chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.…”

Section: Injecting Drug Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Route of drug use and its implications for drug effect, risk of dependence and health consequences

Strang¹,

Bearn²,

Farrell³

et al. 1998

Drug and Alcohol Review

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Route of administration has a profound, but often overlooked, influence on the actual experience of the drug use itself, on the risk of resulting development of dependence, and on the nature of the harms to which drug users are exposing themselves. These three areas are reviewed. The influence of route of administration on drug effect is considered first with regard to overall effectiveness of absorption, and also with regard to speed of onset of effect. The implications for risk of dependence cover animal and human laboratory studies of reinforcement schedules, epidemiological studies, the attitudes of drug users themselves to the different routes of possible drug use and associated dependence risk and the postulated influences on progression to dependence. Finally, the relationship between route of drug use and health sequelae is explored for the three most widely used routes of administration of illicit drugs-snorting, smoking and injecting.

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“…The combination of narcotic addiction, staphylococcal septicaemia with right-sided endocarditis, and pulmonary embolism was first described by Hussey et al (1944), and has often been reported since then (Hussey and Katz, 1950;Olsson and Romansky, 1962;Conway, 1969;Roberts and Buchbinder, 1972;Menda and Gorbach, 1973;Svanbom et al, 1973). These authors drew attention to the possibility of tricuspid valve involvement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%