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. 1973 Jul;14(3):359–363.

Immunoglobulin alterations associated with heroin addiction

B S Rabin, C D'Amanda
PMCID: PMC1553821  PMID: 4199091

Abstract

Heroin users presenting at a methadone treatment centre were studied with various biochemical and immunologic tests. Three-fourths of those studied had an abnormally high value for immunoglobulin M. This was not related to alterations of their other immunoglobulins or to abnormalities of liver function tests. It is unlikely that this represents a specific immune response to heroin or to one of the fillers used with it. Rather it appears to be a non-specific stimulation of IgM-producing cells which may alter the immunologic competency of heroin addicts and possibly predisposes them to infection.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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