Popular Illegal Drug Extra Harmful with HCV
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Since an estimated 4.1 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C, more people are concerned with which factors increase the damage this virus can cause. Considered to be a drug by healthcare professionals, alcohol is well-known to worsen Hepatitis C infection. As more research is conducted on the impact other types of drugs have on the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), it seems that an increasing number of controlled substances also encourage this virus to gain strength. In addition to causing neurological decline in people with HCV, methamphetamine has recently been charged with encouraging this virus to replicate.
About Methamphetamine
According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 10.4 million Americans age 12 and older had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes. In many Western and Midwestern states, methamphetamine is second only to alcohol and marijuana as the drug most frequently used. A highly addictive central nervous system stimulant, methamphetamine’s low cost, ease to manufacture and variety of ways to take it make this substance a popular choice among those looking for a high.
In contrast to many other illicit drugs, methamphetamine can be made in small, homemade, illegal laboratories. Street methamphetamine is referred to by many names, such as “speed,” “meth” and “chalk.” Also referred to as “ice,” “crystal,” “glass” and “tina,” methamphetamine hydrochloride appears as clear chunky crystals resembling ice. Methamphetamine can be taken as a pill, injected, snorted, smoked or administered anally. Abusers may become addicted quickly, needing higher doses more often to feel its effects.
Meth’s Impact on the Body
While it is chemically related to amphetamine, methamphetamine’s effects are much more potent, longer lasting, and more harmful to the central nervous system. Methamphetamine increases the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. Chronic methamphetamine abuse significantly changes how the brain functions. Taking even small amounts can result in:
- increased wakefulness
- increased physical activity
- decreased appetite
- increased respiration
- rapid heart rate
- irregular heartbeat
- increased blood pressure
- hyperthermia
Other effects of methamphetamine abuse may include irritability, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, cardiovascular collapse and death. Long-term effects may include paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, memory loss, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions and severe dental problems.
Meth and Hepatitis C
Besides the possibility of acquiring Hepatitis C by using this drug, methamphetamine has been shown to wreck havoc on the body of a person already infected with the virus. Separate trials have shown that methamphetamine interacts with Hepatitis C in two damaging ways: cognition dysfunction and proliferation promotion.
- Cognition Dysfunction – In a University of California at San Diego study, researchers examined how the Hepatitis C virus contributes to neurocognitive dysfunction in individuals with methamphetamine dependence. Investigators discovered that people with the Hepatitis C virus who had a dependence on methamphetamine had a higher likelihood of cognition issues, including overall neurocognitive performance deficits and problems in the specific areas of learning, abstraction, motor skills, speeded information processing and delayed recall.
- Proliferation Promotion – In the April 2008 issue of Journal of Viral Hepatitis, researchers from the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine reported on a laboratory study looking at whether methamphetamine lowered immunity in host cells, thus facilitating Hepatitis C replication in human liver cells. The researchers found that methamphetamine use affected the immune system in the following ways:
- Methamphetamine inhibited natural intracellular interferon alpha expression.
- Methamphetamine compromised the effect of recombinant interferon alpha as used for Hepatitis C treatment.
- Methamphetamine inhibited expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT-1), a key modulator of interferon-mediated biological responses.
- Methamphetamine also down-regulated expression of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF-5), a transcriptional factor that activates the interferon pathway.
Based on these findings, the investigators concluded that the manner in which methamphetamine compromises a person’s immune system encourages HCV viral load to rise.
As Hepatitis C infection rates climb, so does the effort to minimize the damage this virus inflicts. With its documented ability to favor central nervous system deterioration in people with HCV, methamphetamine use has an effect opposite of what many initially use this drug for – alertness. Additionally, new research presents evidence that methamphetamine’s effect on the immune system provides an ideal environment for Hepatitis C to replicate. Based on these two injurious effects of methamphetamine specific to HCV, people with the virus are hereby advised to avoid this illicit drug.
References:
L Ye, JS Peng, Z Wang, et al., Methamphetamine enhances Hepatitis C virus replication in human hepatocytes, Journal of Viral Hepatitis, April 2008.
www.hivandhepatitis.com, Methamphetamine Promotes Hepatitis C Virus Replication in Human Liver Cells, Liz Highleyman, hivandhepatitis.com, 2008.
www.neurology.org, Hepatitis C augments cognitive deficits associated with HIV infection and methamphetamine, M. Cherner, PhD, Neurology, April 2005.
www.nida.nih.gov, NIDA InfoFacts: Methamphetamine, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2008.
www.usdoj.gov, Methamphetamine, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, 2008.
