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Crack cocaine: effect modifier of RNA viral load and CD4 count in HIV infected African American women

Submitted by dcc on Wed, 04/23/2014 - 7:47am
TitleCrack cocaine: effect modifier of RNA viral load and CD4 count in HIV infected African American women
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsDuncan, R, Shapshak, P, Page, JB, Chiappelli, F, McCoy, CB, Messiah, SE
JournalFrontiers in Bioscience: A Journal and Virtual Library
Volume12
Pagination1488-95
Date Published2007
KeywordsAdult, African Americans, CD4 Lymphocyte Count, Crack Cocaine, Disease Progression, External, Female, HIV Infections, HIV-1, Humans, RNA, Viral, Viral Load
Abstract

This study reports on the role of cocaine as effect modifier of the association of CD4+ cell counts and RNA viral load. HIV-1 seropositive (n = 80) and seronegative (n = 42) African American women (AAW) crack cocaine smokers were recruited. Increasing cocaine use, based on self-reports and laboratory values, significantly exacerbates the immunopathology of HIV-1 in a dose-response manner, confirmed by a non-linear drop in CD4+ cell number for a given viral load in HIV+ AAW. This report supports a view of deleterious effects due to cocaine use in humans.
URLhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17127396