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Disease
SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR Most of the diseases that are of concern to heroin users have similar symptoms. These symptoms are listed below. If you notice any of these, you should consult with a doctor immediately. Most of the diseases are curable and those that are not can be helped greatly by a doctor. Delay will only make it worse and treatment will easier the sooner it is caught.
Different diseases related to heroin use AIDS AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is believed to be caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). It destroys your immune system which makes you very susceptible to infection because HIV invades your white blood cells and destroys their ability to fight infection.
The main difference between AIDS and HIV is that if you contract AIDS you have a short life expectancy, whereas with HIV it can lay dormant for years before it develops into AIDS. The symptoms include weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes, diarrhoea, fever, and night sweats.
If you are a drug user or you aren’t in a steady relationship, you should be tested for HIV around every 6 months. Obviously if you have contracted the virus there isn’t any cure but catching it early means that you can get the right medication to help you delay the onset of full-blown AIDS.
Endocarditis Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of the heart, which left untreated is fatal. There are two disease types: Acute Infectious Endocarditis and Subacute Infectious Endocarditis, which are caused by different strains of bacteria and progress at different rates. The subacute form is most common and left untreated will kill you within a year. The acute form of Endocarditis will kill you in about a month.
The bacteria adhere to the inner lining of the heart - the endocardium and start growing. These bacterial colonies become very large and pieces of them break off and enter the circulatory system, which then get trapped in various places in the body. The symptoms are: Petechiae in the skin, blood in the urine and a long-term low-grade fever. Pulmonary Edema Pulmonary Edema is the swelling of lung tissue. The main result of this is to reduce the lung capacity, usually to about 50% of its full capacity. It can lead to very potent pneumonia which can lead to death. Generally this is a problem associated with heroin related sudden death. It appears to be linked with existing lung disease but whether this is due to heroin, adulterants, or other causes (e.g. cigarettes) is unclear.
Blood Clots A thrombus is a blood clot. They form primarily in veins because blood moves more slowly in veins than in arteries. The clotting process is started by the platelets in the blood, which adhere to some surface. Normally, the walls of the veins are too smooth to allow this, but injection scars inside of veins create such surfaces. To reduce the risk of clotting, exercise-pay particular attention to parts of your body in which you inject.
These clots may stick in the walls and form hard clumps that interfere with the flow of blood. These are fairly common amongst injectors. They are usually frightening at first, but over time users find that they aren't particularly painful and that they don't seem to cause any problems other than making the vein in which they reside useless for injection.
High Blood Pressure All of the garbage that gets introduced into the body as a result of the ingestion of un-pure heroin can cause many different problems. These foreign substances can react with each other and with normal parts of the body to produce particulate matter. Over time, this material will be removed from your body. But until then, it will often be found floating through your blood stream. The presence of this material constricts the flow of blood and so leads to high blood pressure.
This situation is particularly bad for junkies. First, junkies do not stop using for long enough for their bodies to recover and expel the foreign substances. Second, almost all junkies smoke cigarettes. Third, most junkies do not eat well; the number one junkie food is high in fat: pizza. Infrequent chippers should not have to worry so much about high blood pressure. Regardless, all heroin users should check their blood pressures often-I recommend once a week.
Liver Damage / Hepatitis The liver may be infected due to viruses introduced in the administration process. Life is not possible without the liver. It is the primary means by which your body removes toxins. Many drugs are very straining to the liver; heroin is not. But unclean administration can introduce any number of viruses which can attack the liver.
Tetanus Tetanus comes from the tetanus bacillus that lives in the intestines of all animals (including humans). It is excreted in fesecus matter and can live in soil indefinitely. For obvious reasons it is most commonly found in manure. It lives in dead tissue (like skin) and does not cause local inflammation—this is one reason why it is such a dangerous disease; you often won't know that you have it until it is too late.
You can become infected by tetanus through contaminated drugs, injecting paraphernalia, or skin. Tetanus grows quickly in the tissues under the skin so injectors who miss veins, are skin-popping or injecting into muscle are most at risk. The tetanus bacillus creates a toxin which it passes to the central nervous system. This toxin causes the nervous system to misbehave-telling muscles to stiffen and often causing painful spasms and convulsions. The first muscles affected are usually the jaws which explains why Tetanus is often referred to as “Lock Jaw.” If the respirator muscles are affected, asphyxiation can occur. This point cannot be stressed enough: Tetanus from even a very small wound can kill you. Stay current on your Tetanus shots. If you have not been vaccinated in the last five years, contact your Doctor or local ER/Accident and Emergency and ask for a vaccination.
IMPORTANT There has been an outbreak of tetanus among injecting drug users in England.
Symptoms include:
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