U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: Crack cocaine use reduces antiviral therapy use in women with HIV

Law and, Health Weekly. (2004) U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: Crack cocaine use reduces antiviral therapy use in women with HIV.

Abstract

Crack cocaine use decreases adherence to antiretroviral treatment among HIV-infected Black women.

"Since the appearance of crack cocaine in the 1980s, unprecedented numbers of women have become addicted. A disproportionate number of female crack users are Black and poor. We analyzed interview data of HIV-infected women greater than or equal to 18 years of age reported to 12 health departments between July 1997 and December 2000 to ascertain if Black women reported crack use more than other HIV-infected women and to examine the relationship between crack use and antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence among Black women," researchers in the United States report.

"Of 1,655 HIV-infected women, 585 (35%) were nonusers of drugs, 694 (42%) were users of other drugs, and 376 (23%) were crack users," said Tanya Telfair Sharpe and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Of the 1,196 (72%) Black women, 306 (26%) were crack users. We used logistic regression to examine the effect of crack use on adherence to ART, controlling for age and education among Black women.