(Press-News.org) (PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – There are important parallels between the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the current epidemic of opioid addiction - ones that could trigger a significant shift in opioid addiction prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
These are the findings of a comparative review of HIV/AIDS and addiction by researchers Josiah D. Rich, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, based at The Miriam Hospital; Traci C. Green, Ph.D., MSc, Department of Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; and lead author Sarah E. Wakeman, M.D., Department of Medicine and Center for Community Health Improvement, Massachusetts General Hospital. The paper is published online in advance of print in the American Journal of Medicine.
"Deaths documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been on the rise, and that profile bears a striking resemblance to the beginning stages of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic," said Rich. "There are lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS epidemic that should be heeded and should drive a parallel response to today's crisis: addiction."
In the paper, "From Documenting Death to Comprehensive Care: Applying Lessons from the HIV/AIDS Epidemic to Addiction," researchers detail how the HIV/AIDS epidemic spurred a novel public health approach centered on human rights. That included biomedical breakthroughs and life-saving treatment, and community advocacy and activism played key roles. Fast forward 30 years and the global response to HIV/AIDS has attracted an unprecedented commitment of resources and international aid, and there are predictions for its end. Researchers assert that a parallel response is needed in response to the epidemic of addiction.
Similar to HIV/AIDS, many addiction victims are young, previously healthy and already stigmatized. Effective care is compromised by a public perception that only certain groups become addicts. The death toll of the two epidemics is comparable, but the response to opioid addiction is not yet as effective: every 19 minutes another American dies from an unintentional overdose.
Affecting 40 million Americans, or 15.9 percent of the population, addiction to drugs, alcohol and tobacco has a greater public impact than heart conditions, diabetes or cancer. Opioid use disorders are the fastest-growing type of drug problem. According to researchers, much of the current exposure to opioids is linked to the explosion of widely available, potent prescription painkillers that have an identical effect in the brain as heroin. Although many benefit from substantial pain relief and improved quality of life, prescription opioids now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. Researchers note that while prevalent, addiction has been marginalized as a social problem setting it apart from other diseases, with barriers to treatment ranging from stringent criteria for entry to limited availability of treatment.
Green participated in a Rhode Island community forum on drug overdose in February that drew hundreds to The Miriam Hospital. Speakers and participants spanned health officials, law enforcement, the medical community, addiction treatment providers and parents who've lost children to overdose. Rich and others are spearheading a R.I. "collaborative practice agreement" that allows anyone to walk into a Walgreens in R.I. and obtain naloxone (or Narcan) – a drug that quickly reverses an opioid overdose, along with training on how to use it.
Researchers described the need for a comprehensive prevention, diagnosis and treatment campaign to fight overdose, along with standard-of-care treatment models based on existing evidence. They propose more education for the medical community and that educational resources for addiction in medical training be on par with that of other chronic diseases. Also, as with HIV/AIDS, patients suffering from addiction should be involved in the design and implementation of programs and products designed to serve them.
Immediate steps that can address the catastrophic death toll from unintentional overdose include a balance of harm reduction and supply-side and demand-oriented interventions, such as:
Regularly prescribe, train in use of, and distribute naloxone.
Reformulate pain medications and decrease availability of painkillers through physical education, prescription drug-monitoring programs, and crackdowns on "pill mills."
Increase access to evidence-based treatment, including medications like buprenorphine and methadone.
INFORMATION:
Funding to support the investigators, all of whom are affiliated with The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, has been received from The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), The National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Josiah D. Rich, M.D., M.P.H., is an attending physician at The Miriam Hospital (a member hospital of the Lifespan health system in Rhode Island) and professor of medicine and epidemiology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
About The Miriam Hospital
The Miriam Hospital is a 247-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. It offers expertise in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, men's health, and minimally invasive surgery and is home to the state's first Joint Commission-certified Stroke Center and robotic surgery program. The hospital, which received more than $23 million in external research funding last year, is nationally known for its HIV/AIDS and behavioral and preventive medicine research, including weight control, physical activity and smoking cessation. The Miriam Hospital has been awarded Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services four times and is a founding member of the Lifespan health system. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Researchers identify similarities between HIV/AIDS and opioid addiction epidemics
Researchers offer immediate steps to address rise in deaths
2014-04-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study reveals animal research bias in experimentation oversight committee membership
2014-04-01
Denver — Committees that are federally mandated to review, approve, and monitor the use of animals in experiments—called Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC)—are dominated by animal research interests, according to a study presented today (Wednesday April 2) at the 2014 Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) IACUC Conference in Denver.
Using the federal Freedom of Information Act, researchers from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the University of California–San Diego School of Medicine obtained the current IACUC ...
Fruitfly study: Epilepsy drug target implications for sleep disruption in brain disorders
2014-04-01
PHILADELPHIA — A new study in a mutant fruitfly called sleepless (sss) confirmed that the enzyme GABA transaminase, which is the target of some epilepsy drugs, contributes to sleep loss. The findings, published online in Molecular Psychiatry, were led by Amita Sehgal, PhD, head of the Chronobiology Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. The findings shed light on mechanisms that may be shared between sleep disruption and some neurological disorders. A better understanding of this connection could enable treatments that target both types ...
ED dental care treatment raises access, cost issues for policymakers, Rutgers study finds
2014-04-01
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The use of emergency departments for dental care – especially by young adults in low-income communities – is presenting policymakers with a challenge, according to a Rutgers report which offers several remedies including expanding hours at the dentist's office.
"Emergency departments are poorly equipped to deal definitively with dental and oral health needs," said Kristen Lloyd, senior analyst at Rutgers' Center for State Health Policy and lead author of the report. "Still, many people seek care in emergency departments for nontraumatic dental ...
Schools have limited success in reducing bullying, new analysis finds
2014-04-01
Two UCLA professors who conducted the most thorough analysis to date of studies on school bullying have found that K-12 schools' efforts to curtail bullying are often disappointing.
The study revealed that schools are trying many different approaches to protect students, and while the more comprehensive programs have been the most effective, they require substantial commitment and school resources to be successful.
"Band-Aid solutions, such as holding one assembly a year that discourages bullying, do not work," said Jaana Juvonen, a UCLA professor of psychology ...
Oxytocin, the 'love' hormone, promotes group lying, according to Ben-Gurion U. researchers
2014-04-01
BEER-SHEVA, Israel…April 1, 2014 – According to a new study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the University of Amsterdam, oxytocin caused participants to lie more to benefit their groups, and to do so more quickly and without expectation of reciprocal dishonesty from their group. Oxytocin is a hormone the body naturally produces to stimulate bonding.
The research was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
"Our results suggest people are willing to bend ethical rules to help the people close to ...
Factor present in gestational and type 2 diabetes could provide new treatment options
2014-04-01
New research reveals that both pregnant women with diabetes and with type 2 diabetics have high levels of a fat metabolite that impairs pancreatic cells from secreting insulin. The findings, which are published in the April 1 issue of the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism, suggest that blocking the effects of this fat metabolite may help prevent and treat diabetes.
In nearly one-fifth of pregnancies, diabetes can arise (called gestational diabetes), and when this happens, it puts the woman at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. To gain better ...
Obesity primes the colon for cancer, according to NIH study
2014-04-01
Obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study in mice by the National Institutes of Health. The finding bolsters the recommendation that calorie control and frequent exercise are not only key to a healthy lifestyle, but a strategy to lower the risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
Paul Wade, Ph.D., and Thomas Eling, Ph.D., scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, led a collaborative team that made ...
Common molecular defect offers treatment hope for group of rare disorders
2014-04-01
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Medicine researchers studying tiny, antennae-like structures called cilia have found a potential way to ease some of the physical damage of numerous genetic disorders that result when these essential cellular components are defective.
Different genetic defects cause dysfunction of the cilia, which often act as sensory organs that receive signals from other cells. Individually, disorders involving cilia are rare, but collectively the more than 100 diseases in the category known as ciliopathies affect as many as one in 1,000 people. Ciliopathies are ...
Swimming pool urine combines with chlorine to pose health risks
2014-04-01
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A new study shows how uric acid in urine generates potentially hazardous "volatile disinfection byproducts" in swimming pools by interacting with chlorine, and researchers are advising swimmers to observe "improved hygiene habits."
Chlorination is used primarily to prevent pathogenic microorganisms from growing. The disinfection byproducts include cyanogen chloride (CNCl) and trichloramine (NCl3). Cyanogen chloride is a toxic compound that affects many organs, including the lungs, heart and central nervous system by inhalation. Trichloramine has ...
Got acne? There's an App for that!
2014-04-01
CHICAGO --- Acne sufferers around the world are using an iPhone app created at Northwestern University to learn how certain foods affect their skin conditions.
The app, called "diet & acne," can be downloaded from the iTunes app store for free. It uses data from a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed research studies to show people if there is or is not scientific evidence linking acne to foods such as chocolate, fat, sugar and whey protein.
"Users may be surprised to learn that there is no conclusive evidence from large randomized controlled trials that have linked ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Firms that read more perform better
Tightly tied waist cord of saree underskirt may pose cancer risk, warn doctors
10% of children in high-burden tuberculosis settings may develop the disease by age 10
Health experts push for the elimination of a ‘remarkably harmful toxin’
University of Tennessee, Lockheed Martin expand Master Research Agreement
Testing thousands of RNA enzymes helps find first ‘twister ribozyme’ in mammals
Groundbreaking study provides new evidence of when Earth was slushy
International survey of more than 1600 biomedical researchers on the perceived causes of irreproducibility of research results
Integrating data from different experimental approaches into one model is challenging – this study presents a community-based, full-scale in silico model of the rat hippocampal CA1 region that integra
SwRI awarded grant to characterize Las Moras Springs watershed
Water overuse in MATOPIBA could mean failure to meet up to 40% of local demand for crop irrigation
An extra year of education does not protect against brain aging
Researchers from Uppsala and Magdeburg obtain an ERC Synergy Grant to advance cancer immunotherapy
Deaf male mosquitoes don’t mate
Recognizing traumatic brain injury as a chronic condition fosters better care over the survivor’s lifetime
SwRI’s Dr. James Walker receives Distinguished Scientist Award from Hypervelocity Impact Society
A mother’s health problems pose a risk to her children
Ensuring a bright future for diamond electronics and sensors
The American Pediatric Society selects Dr. Maria Trent as the Recipient of the 2025 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award
The first 3D view of the formation and evolution of globular clusters
Towards a hydrogen-powered future: highly sensitive hydrogen detection system
Scanning synaptic receptors: A game-changer for understanding psychiatric disorders
High-quality nanomechanical resonators with built-in piezoelectricity
ERC Synergy Grants for 57 teams tackling major scientific challenges
Nordic research team receives €13 million to explore medieval book culture
The origin of writing in Mesopotamia is tied to designs engraved on ancient cylinder seals
Explaining science through dance
Pioneering neuroendocrinologist's century of discovery launches major scientific tribute series
Gendered bilingualism in post-colonial Korea
Structural safety monitoring of buildings with color variations
[Press-News.org] Researchers identify similarities between HIV/AIDS and opioid addiction epidemicsResearchers offer immediate steps to address rise in deaths