What are the common medical problems of patients who inject drugs?
Patients who inject drugs often have comorbid clinical conditions, which are listed below with specific recommendations. Mental health problems Treat early. Depression is the most common problem. Hepatitis C Screen all drug users for hepatitis C and B and treat when indicated. Consult a specialist in HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C for coinfected patients. Screen for depression before initiating therapy for hepatitis C. Treating hepatitis is important for preventing hepatotoxicity associated with ART. Sexually transmitted diseases Screen regularly and provide safe sex education. Like other people, drug users often do not stop having sex even if they are infected with multiple diseases. Tuberculosis Past tuberculosis exposure is common in injection drug users (as many as 30% are PPD positive); they should be screened for TB. Skin and soft tissue infections Cellulitis and skin abscesses are very common in injection drug users. The practice of “skin popping” markedly increases the risk of absces
