Amphetamines increase the risk of HIV transmission among gay consumers

Amphetamine use by gay men increases the risk of HIV transmission and can cause complications in people already infected with the virus, according to new work.
Amphetamines and ecstasy are very popular drug among young people, because of the excitement and liveliness they provide effects. This feeling of well-being is very dangerous because it lowers inhibitions and can lead to risk-taking, including sexual, warn the authors on the website of the journal "Clinical Infectious Diseases".

Some may indeed accept multiply unprotected sex with partners they do not know the HIV status vis-à-vis HIV. However, the rate of HIV status is particularly high among consumers of these substances, the researchers said, emphasizing the dangers faced by these young people.

Besides the loss of judgment induced by amphetamine taken which often leads to sexual behavior putting them at high risk of infection, the drug itself may increase the risk "by blocking a part of the immune system involved in the fight against HIV" says Dr. Antonio Urbina, who led the work.

In addition, amphetamines and their analogs, such as ecstasy, can be fatal when these drugs are associated with some antiretroviral drugs. And it is not uncommon for users infected with HIV, under treatment, forget to take their medication and thus contribute to the development of resistance to certain viral strains.

In patients who are not receiving antiretroviral therapy, the use of amphetamines may increase the risk of developing a particular dementia, characterized by a decrease in motor and verbal skills.

The neurochemical perspective, amphetamines cause a reduction in the rate of transport of dopamine, causing symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease, and when these drugs are combined with the toxic effects of HIV on the brain , "there is an overlap between the neurotoxic effects of amphetamines and HIV," says Dr. Urbina, calling this side effect as the "most serious."

It is therefore urgent to get the message across to young people. "I sincerely believe that there is a lack of information about the risks entailed catastrophic amphetamine use, particularly among young gay men," laments the researcher. According to him, the risk that a consumer of amphetamines contract HIV during unprotected is much greater than for alcohol or marijuana consumer report.