The Lexington addicts, 1971-1972: demographic characteristics, drug use patterns, and selected infectious disease experience.
The demographics, drug habits, and medical complications of a cohort of 1,129 addicts treated at Lexington in the period 1971-1972 were studied. These patients, admitted from 41 different states, had a mean period of addiction of 5.4 years. Over one-third of the sample had engaged in pimping or prostitution, and there were no differences by gender in terms of involvement. Eight-eight percent had shared injection equipment, and surprisingly, 78% admitted to some effort at sterilizing their "works." Hepatitis was the most common associated medical condition: 87% had serologic markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 60% had evidence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) exposure, and 47% had abnormal liver function parameters. Gynecomastia was evident in 2% of male subjects. Thirteen percent of the sample had a reactive VDRL assay, but 64% of these were biologically false positive. Subtle abnormalities of immune function were also observed; 18% of the patients had recent unexplained weight loss, 6% had lymphadenopathy, 8% had leukopenia, and 2% had lymphocytopenia. We conclude that both HBV and HAV were important infectious disease risks in these addicts, and that many evidenced deficiencies in immune function well before AIDS became a major public health concern.
Lange
W R
WR
Addiction Research Center, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland.
Ball
J C
JC
Pfeiffer
M B
MB
Snyder
F R
FR
Cone
E J
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D015994:Incidence; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
D013287:Illicit Drugs