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One of the ways
Meth
changes the brain is the increased chance of violence in users. There can
be dating violence like rapes and sexual assaults - increasing the odds of
spreading HIV and other diseases. People who choose to put themselves in
an environment where Meth is used, whether they are using or not, can be
putting themselves in danger.
Meth Opens
Path for AIDS
in Users’ Bodies
Scientists have long known
that Meth use creates a kind of euphoria that can lead to increased risky
behavior and contribute to the spread of HIV infection.
Now, researchers have
shown a second way that Meth increases the risk of infection and can speed up
the pace of the disease. It is at the level of the virus interacting with the
cells of the body, at the same juncture that is responsible for the pleasurable
effects of Meth.
A
cellular biologist at the
University at Buffalo examined a part of the immune
system (dendritic cells) that the HIV virus initially latches onto when entering
a body. He followed the action of Meth as it attached itself to dopamine
receptors on cells. The drug somehow forces the creation of more of a specific
molecule that HIV grabs on to near the surface of the skin. Then, the cells
with the HIV attached travels deeper into the immune system. The sheer number
of virus molecules attached to the Meth-activated dendritc cells overwhelms the
natural defensive cells (T-cells) of the human body.
The study was published
online on Aug. 4, 2006 in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology (Article no
longer available online).
Meth use increases risk of HIV/AIDS in a number of other ways.
Risk
factors for Meth use can include sexual risk factors. Several studies
demonstrate that Meth users are more likely to engage in risky sex acts
than non-users. Such behaviors can include sex with multiple and/or
anonymous partners, unprotected sex and “sex marathons.” Meth use
reportedly increases sex drive while over time also reduces sexual
pleasure and/or causes impotence.
Also,
Meth users who inject the drug frequently share needles. In one California
study, 1/3 of Meth users used needles. Among needle-users, 47% had shared
and/or borrowed needles. Law enforcement in some areas of South Dakota
report that much higher than 1/3 of Meth users are injecting. Law
enforcement in Rapid City, for example, reported as a “majority” of Meth
users in the area are using needles.
Limited studies have also shown that independent of other risk factors,
Meth users appear more likely to become infected with the HIV virus, and
carry higher viral loads. Reasons for this are still unknown, but could
possibly be attributed to lowered immune resistance in Meth users (due to
the drug or lifestyle factors like lack of sleep or poor nutrition),
dried-out mucous membranes in the vagina, anus and/or mouth along with
longer duration of sex contributing to possible tearing of tissue
increasing risk of transmission.
Among heterosexual
people and men who had sex with men (MSM), Meth users:
-
reported more sex
partners
-
were less likely
to report condom use
-
were two-times
more likely to report sex in exchange for money or drugs,
-
were four-times as
likely to report having sex with an injection-drug user
-
had a strong history of a sexually
transmitted disease (STD)
Sources include:
SD Department of Health statistics from South Dakota Epidemiologic
Profile of HIV/AIDS 2007
Molitor F, Traux SR, Ruiz JD, Sun RK. “Association of Methamphetamine use
during sex with risky sexual behaviors and HIV infection among
non-injection drug users.” West J Med 1998; 168:93—7.
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