BACKGROUND:
Injection
drug users (IDUs) are at increased risk of various medical conditions,
including bacterial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). SSTIs, which are
painful and can lead to life-threatening complications, are common but scarcely
studied.
OBJECTIVES:
To
investigate life time, past 12 month and past 30-day prevalence for SSTI
related to injection drug use, in IDUs at Malmö syringe exchange program (Malmö
SEP). To investigate factors associated with having ever had an SSTI.
METHODS:
IDUs were
recruited from Malmö SEP (N = 80). They participated in a survey with questions
about demographics, drug use, and experience of SSTIs. Factors independently
associated with self-reported SSTI ever were assessed using logistic regression
analysis.
RESULTS:
The
lifetime reported prevalence of SSTI was 58%, past 12 months 30%, and past
30 days 14%. Factors independently associated with SSTI ever were age,
female sex, having ever injected prescribed
drugs, and having ever injected in the neck.
CONCLUSIONS: SSTI is common among
IDUs in Malmö. Women and those injecting in the neck or injecting prescribed
drugs (crushed tablets/liquids), are more likely to have had an SSTI.
- 1 Malmo Addiction Center , Psychiatry Skane , Malmo , Sweden.
- 2 Department of Clinical Sciences , Lund University , Lund , Sweden.
- 3 Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Clinical Sciences , Lund University , Malmo , Sweden.
- 4 RTI International , San Francisco , California , USA.
