According to the World Health Organization, about 13 million people inject drugs. These people are subject to danger not only from the drugs themselves but from the act of using a needle.
Injecting drug use accounts for approximately 10 percent of HIV infections globally and 30 percent of those outside of Africa. The occurrence of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs is 67 percent, and worldwide there are approximately 2.2 million HIV–hepatitis C virus co-infection, of which more than half are people who inject drugs.
One problem that most people don’t consider is where exactly the drug is injected. It is meant to be injected into a vein, which moves blood toward the heart, and the drug is diluted in the blood before being spread throughout the body. If the needle enters an artery, which moves blood away from the heart, the drug heads directly into the tissues, leading to swelling and excruciating pain. Some of the complications of injecting into a vein are:
- Damage to peripheral nerves that can cause tingling or prickling feelings
- Motor dysfunction, including balance and coordination issues
- Loss of limbs
- Compartment syndrome, which is a dangerous pressure buildup in the muscles that can lead to decreased blood flow resulting in nerve and muscle damage
- Significant pain
- Death
Injecting drugs can also cause a person to suffer from collapsed veins, skin and bacterial infections at the injection site including abscesses, scarring of the skin, and track marks. Infections in the lining of the heart and blood vessels, endocarditis (an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves), heart damage, cardiovascular complications, organ failure, and irregular heart rate and blood pressure can also occur. People who inject drugs are also nearly 35 times more likely than those who don’t to suffer from chronic venous disorders, where valves in your veins in arms or legs don’t work, causing blood to pool and putting increased pressure on the walls of the veins.
Some of the most serious complications are necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, which is a serious skin infection that can cause someone to lose their limbs; wound botulism, where bacteria enters a wound caused by a needle puncture and can lead to paralysis and death; gas gangrene, a potentially fatal infection that can lead to tissue death, and tetanus, which can cause lockjaw, problems swallowing, rigid muscles in the abdomen, and stiffness in the neck.
The World Health Organization suggests the following to prevent and treat disease in people who inject drugs:
- Needle/syringe programs
- Opioid substitution therapy
- HIV testing and counseling
- HIV treatment and care
- Condom programming
- Behavioral interventions
- Prevention and management of viral hepatitis, TB, and mental health conditions
- Sexual and reproductive health interventions
- Provision of naloxone and training on overdose prevention for PWID community
If you or a loved one need help to quit drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504.
