The medical complications of heroin use

Heroin use is associated with numerous adverse sequelae. As clinical services develop, addiction psychiatrists will increasingly be called upon to help identify and manage the complications of heroin use. This review focuses on recent research into the medical complications of heroin use and looks at strategies to minimize harm associated with this practice.

Mortality associated with heroin overdose has increased substantially in many countries. Parenteral use of opioid drugs is a central factor and other risk factors include polydrug use, particularly benzodiazepines and alcohol, mental health issues and environmental factors not conducive to resuscitation. Unravelling the determinants of blood-borne virus transmission continues, the focus shifting from needle sharing to inadvertent sharing of other injecting equipment. Trials addressing the challenges of antiviral therapy in injecting drug users are emerging. A greater understanding of the effects of opioids on immune functioning complements our knowledge of infection in the heroin-using group as well as possibly explaining the reduced response to vaccination in this group.

Medical complications of heroin affect a number of different organ systems. The role of the addiction specialist is to be aware of these so that early diagnosis and appropriate management is instituted. The latter will generally be done in collaboration with other specialists. The addictions specialist can play a significant role in the development of clinical systems to minimize these complications.