Nationwide increase in the number of hospitalizations for illicit injection drug use-related infective endocarditis.
Infective endocarditis is a potentially fatal consequence of illicit injection drug use. We estimate that the number of hospitalization for injection drug use-related infective endocarditis increased by 38%-66% in the United States between 2000-2001 and 2002-2003, a period during which the number of at-risk persons (i.e., injection drug users) remained stable. Increasing methamphetamine use and/or drug injection frequency may have increased the incidence of infective endocarditis among active injection drug users.
Cooper
Hannah L F
HL
National Development and Research Institutes, New York, NY, USA. hcoope3@sph.emory.edu
Brady
Joanne E
JE
Ciccarone
Daniel
D
Tempalski
Barbara
B
Gostnell
Karla
K
Friedman
Samuel R
SR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology