I just started working in a homeless center. There are a lot of injection drug users. The staff told me to watch for infections in these people. What's the connection between shooting drugs and infection?

Drug users get skin infections from poor hygiene and poking holes in the skin with many needles each day. These types of infections can spread to the muscles and flesh causing a condition that eats away at the tissue.

Hepatitis is also common among drug users who inject drugs daily. Often they use the same needle as someone who has hepatitis. In this way, the disease is transmitted. Abscess of the spine, lungs, and brain can occur when infection is introduced into the blood stream. Infection of the discs and joints is also possible from Staph infection carried via the blood stream to these areas.

Reference:

Russel C. Huang, MD, et al. Cervical Epidural Abscess after Epidural Steroid Injection. In Spine. January 1, 2004. Vol. 29. No. 1. Pp. E7-E9.

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I just started working in a homeless center. There are a lot of injection drug users. The staff told me to watch for infections in these people. What's the connection between shooting drugs and infection?