HIV-positive women who use crack are significantly more likely to experience rapid HIV disease progression, develop an AIDS-defining illness, or die, according to a study in the journal AIDS. An eight-year analysis of nearly 1,700 HIV-positive women, all of whom were receiving antiretroviral drugs and medical care, showed persistent crack users had larger CD4-cell losses, higher HIV viral levels, and were three times more likely to die from AIDS-related causes than nonusers.
