Infections in intravenous drug users: a two-year review

Community-acquired infections in the intravenous drug user (IVDU) may affect one or more of the body systems. Infections range from minor localized cellulitis to life threatening, even fatal, systemic infections such as endocarditis. The author reviews two years of data related to the type and cause of community-acquired infections in IVDUs which necessitated hospitalization for treatment. During the two-year period, 396 individuals required 464 admissions for a total of 4247 patient days. Of the 464 admissions, 232 (50%) were admitted for suspected or known infection(s). Positive microbiology cultures were obtained from 143 (62%) of those with suspected or known infections. The major body systems affected were the cutaneous (43.4%), the respiratory tract (21.7%) and the circulatory system (19.6%). The most commonly isolated pathogen was streptococci.