Category Archives: Substance Use
HIV, hepatitis B & C in people who inject drugs in India: A systematic review of regional heterogeneity & overview of opioid substitution treatment
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: This systematic review evaluates the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) burden among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in India. In...
The burden of non-communicable diseases among people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing among people living with HIV (PLHIV), especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We determined the prevalence of NCDs and NCD risk factors among PLHIV in...
Neurological, behavioral, and pathophysiological characterization of the co-occurrence of substance use and HIV: A narrative review
Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has greatly reduced the severity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in people living with HIV (PLWH); however, PLWH are more likely than the general population to use...
Prevalence and risk factors of tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in China. METHODS: A systematic review...
Disentangling opioids-related overdose syndemics: A scoping review
This article reviews research investigating the synergistic interaction of opioid-related morbidity and mortality with other social, psychiatric, and biological conditions, to describe how and why it is syndemic. Opioid-related overdose...
HIV treatment, antiretroviral adherence and AIDS mortality in people who inject drugs: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population for the prevention and care of HIV infection. METHODS: This scoping review covers recent (post-2010) systematic reviews on engagement of...
Interventions to reduce alcohol use and HIV risk among sexual and gender minority populations: A systematic review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are diagnosed with HIV at disproportionate rates, and hazardous alcohol use can increase their HIV risk. This review assessed the state...
Alcohol use and associated risk factors among female sex workers in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Due to its widespread use in the sex work industry, female sex workers (FSWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk of harmful alcohol use and associated...
The impact of multiple-behavior HIV interventions as a function of regional disadvantages: An analysis of syndemics
OBJECTIVE: Disadvantaged populations, including inhabitants of developing countries as well as racial/ethnic and sexual minorities in the United States, are disproportionally burdened by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, delayed HIV...
Prevalence of injecting drug use and HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C in people who inject drugs in the Eastern Mediterranean region: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Considerable disease burden is attributed to injecting drug use (IDU). This regional systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of IDU and the characteristics of people who inject...
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and sexualised drug use among men who have sex with men: A systematic review
Drug-related harms, including harms from sexualised drug use (SDU), are disproportionately experienced by sexual and gender minority people, relative to their majority counterparts. Chemsex, a type of SDU practiced mainly...