Effect of Heroin Use on Immune Activation and Cardiovascular Risk in HIV

Summary

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Description

This is a 48-week matched, prospective, observational, cohort study of HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy who actively use heroin or who have never used heroin. The overarching goals are 1) to define the extent and specifics of immune activation in HIV-infected IV heroin users; 2) to defi...

This is a 48-week matched, prospective, observational, cohort study of HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy who actively use heroin or who have never used heroin. The overarching goals are 1) to define the extent and specifics of immune activation in HIV-infected IV heroin users; 2) to define the effect of IV heroin on gut integrity and permeability, and the relationship of gut integrity alteration and immune activation; 3) importantly, to study the reversibility of immune activation, inflammation, and gut dysfunction after cessation of IV heroin, and to that effect, compare strategies for medication assisted treatment-buprenorphine/naloxone versus methadone or vivitrol maintenance; 4) to study if heightened immune activation associated with active intravenous drug use (IVDU) is associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk, including endothelial dysfunction and arterial inflammation, and if these effects are reversible with buprenorphine/naloxone or methadone.

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