ABSTRACT
The twin contemporary epidemics of HIV/AIDS and cocaine abuse have conspired to produce a population of individuals who manifest cardiac abnormalities, the pathophysiology and proper treatment of which have yet to be fully defined (1,2). Both HIV/AIDS and cocaine use independently can promote cardiac dysfunction, and whether both etiologies in concert can demonstrate synergistic effects represents an important question. Potential cardiac side effects of antiretroviral therapy complicate this issue further (3), although recent reports suggest that therapeutic benefits significantly outweigh risks (4-6). Yet adverse cardiovascular effects of simultaneous cocaine use and HIV disease may have significant health consequences for individual patients as well as for the health care system at large, particularly if specialized and costly cardiac care is required as these patients survive and extend their lives. In the following section, pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of the combined HIV/AIDS and cocaine disorders will be considered.
