Abstract
Background: Illicit drug and substance use exacerbates tuberculosis (TB) pandemic and complicates management of the disease. Cytokines play a crucial role in TB infection, and recreational drugs of abuse present a confounder in the understanding of immunology of TB. Therefore, this review presents an updated summary describing the immunological link between illicit drug use and TB. Methods: Information was obtained from previous research findings via Medline search (1990-2015) using the headings tuberculosis, drug interactions, cytokine alterations, prevalence of TB and illicit drug use. In addition, Google scholarly articles and PubMed citations were included in our search. Discussion: Recreational drug induced immunosuppression hastens TB progression among habitual substance users. Additionally, substance consumption in the context of TB infection alters cytokine production and the ensuing immune responses. In this regard, understanding these interactions forms an integral component in improving clinical outcomes among this cohort. Conclusions: Drug and substance abuse aggravates TB pandemic and remains a hindrance to effective TB diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. As such, poor adherence to TB treatment and interactions with drugs of abuse remain a hallmark for drug resistance that poses a unique setback in the fight against the world epidemic. In addition, substance consumption promotes derangement in inflammatory responses implicated in TB immunopathogenesis. This review necessitates clear identification on contribution of each substance towards TB predisposition and cytokine dysregulation while adjusting for confounders.
Highlights
Illicit drug and substance use exacerbates tuberculosis (TB) pandemic and complicates management of the disease
Substance consumption promotes derangement in inflammatory responses implicated in TB immunopathogenesis
This review focused on articles defining cytokine profiles as immunological correlates among Tuberculosis monoinfected drug and substance using population
Summary
Illicit drug and substance use exacerbates tuberculosis (TB) pandemic and complicates management of the disease. This review presents an updated summary describing the immunological link between illicit drug use and TB. TB is a major global health concern and parallels Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and diabetes as a leading cause of mortality worldwide [2]. Recent reports estimate a global TB prevalence of 9.0 million with over 1.5 million deaths annually [2]. Drug and substance use is an emerging health, social and economic problem worldwide. An approximated 5.2% of the global population aged between 15 and 64 years were reported to be using illicit drugs, with over 183,000 deaths occurring in 2012 [3]. The global burden is estimated at 2 billion alcohol users, 1.3 billion smokers and 185 million drug users mainly dependent on cocaine and heroin [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
