Abstract
We aimed to determine the prevalence of drug and polydrug use in people living with HIV in Austria for the first time for which a two center cross-sectional study was performed. Participants were recruited from consecutive patients during their regularly scheduled visits. In total 438 participants were included in the analysis. For this study we used paper-pencil and online-based questionnaires. The prevalence of illicit drug use was 60.5%; with cannabis use at 31.5%, nitrates at 31.5%, sildenafil/tadalafil at 24% and cocaine at 14%, being the most used substances. Use of more than one substance (polydrug) in drug users was 69.4% or 42.0% in the total study population. Younger age, male gender, and living in an urban area were associated with drug use. Moreover, drug use during clubbing and sex, HIV therapy non-adherence and younger age were associated with polydrug use. Drug users reported condomless sex in 42.4% and performing sexual acts they would not do sober in 44.1%. Results indicate a high prevalence of illicit drug use in PLWHIV in Austria. New research focusing on illicit drug use in PLWHIV should focus on the use of substances during sex and surrounding practices.
Highlights
Additional to tobacco and alcohol use, illegal drug use is a cause of major harm for societies and individuals[8]
Long term analysis shows a slight increase in cannabis use, in general the use of illegal drugs in Austria is concentrated among young adults with males reporting higher prevalence[9]
The sample was stratified by drug use over the past 6 months, where 39.5% (173) participants were classified as non-drug users and 60.5% (265) as drug users
Summary
Additional to tobacco and alcohol use, illegal drug use is a cause of major harm for societies and individuals[8]. The EMIS-Study in Europe showed high prevalence of drugs associated with “chemsex” (a term describing sexual relations under the influence of various, mostly psychoactive substances) including amyl nitrates (“poppers”) and cannabis[10,11]. In terms of prevalence of drug use in the general adult population, Austria is in the mid to lower part of the EU range, with use in 2015 being reported for cannabis at 6.4%, 0.4% for cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines respectively[9]. Long term analysis shows a slight increase in cannabis use, in general the use of illegal drugs in Austria is concentrated among young adults (aged 15–34) with males reporting higher prevalence[9]. The primary aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of illicit drug and polydrug use in a sample of adult PLWHIV and their associations with socio-demographic, HIV related and lifestyle factors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
