According to the World Health Organization (WHO), It is estimated that 69,000 people die each year from opioid overdoses worldwide. In turn, it is estimated that there are 15 million people in the world who are dependent on opioids (that is, addicted to them).
The majority of these people use illicitly produced and manufactured heroin, although an increasing percentage use prescription opioids. In a comment made in the Journal of Infectious Diseaseshighlights the need for infectious disease and substance use disorder professionals to work together to stop the growing threat to public health posed by the opioid epidemic due to its strong convergence with the increasing rates of certain infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, heart infections, and skin and soft tissue infections.
The article was co-written by officials from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Opioids can create dependence, which is characterized by a strong desire to use the substance, impaired ability to control its use, persistent use of opioids despite the associated harmful consequences, priority given to use to the detriment of of other activities and obligations, increased tolerance and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when consumption is stopped, reports the WHO.
Due to their effects on the area of the brain that regulates breathing, consumption of opioids in high doses can cause respiratory depression and even death. Regarding the forms of administration, regardless of the medication in question, the injectable route is always associated with a greater risk of infection, which is why sterile material is used. Many people with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), who were initially prescribed oral medications to treat pain, now inject prescription or illicit opioids.
High-risk injection practices, such as sharing needles, are causing an increase in infectious diseases. Additionally, risky sexual behaviors associated with injection drug use have contributed to the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Health professionals specializing in infectious diseases can play an important role in addressing the problem, not only treating the infection associated with a patient’s injection drug use, but also connecting the patient for treatment of their underlying OUD, the researchers write. authors. For example, coupling opioid agonist therapy, such as methadone, with treatment for HIV or hepatitis C, may prevent transmission of these viruses and reduce opioid use.
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According to the authors, comprehensive treatment will result in improvements for both the infectious disease and UTO. For their part, substance use disorder healthcare providers should screen their patients for unrecognized infectious diseases and consult with their infectious disease colleagues regarding a comprehensive treatment plan. New public policies are important that address this problem jointly, and that allocate sufficient budgetary allocations to address the growing opioid epidemic, which can help health professionals improve and implement coordinated strategies, based on evidence, to prevent and treat OUD and opioid-associated infections. The authors maintain that these efforts will be key to stopping and ultimately ending the intertwined problem of OUD and infectious diseases.
Another issue that must be kept in mind is that Although there are effective treatments to combat opioid dependence, only 10% of people who need treatment receive it, according to the WHO. In we discuss research that has found that physical therapy, within three months of the initial pain diagnosis, was associated with a lower likelihood of patients using chronic, long-term opioids. Without a doubt, a finding that deserves to be deepened to evaluate its effectiveness in addressing the problem related to Opioid Use Disorder.
Original study reference: Tara A Schwetz, Thomas Calder, Elana Rosenthal, Sarah Kattakuzhy, Anthony S Fauci. Opioids and Infectious Diseases: A Converging Public Health Crisis. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2019; DOI:
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