substance use Archives

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Substance use is independently associated with pneumonia severity in persons living with HIV

Sarah E. Jolley, MD, MSc & David A. Welsh, MD

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 2, 2019

“Our manuscript highlights the impact of illicit drug use on pneumonia severity in people living with HIV/AIDS. It shows that illicit drug use is common and that use of intravenous drugs or inhalational crack/cocaine is associated with increased pneumonia severity. Interestingly, use of marijuana is associated with less severe pneumonia and marijuana use mitigates the negative effect of alcohol on pneumonia risk. Finally, our manuscript describes a significant interaction between patient sex and alcohol use on pneumonia severity with women with an alcohol use disorder experiencing more severe pneumonia. We feel our results will aid in risk stratification of pneumonia patients and highlight a high risk group for targeted hospital-based interventions aimed at addressing addiction.“