Rates of HIV infection were highest among crack-smoking women, totalling 30 percent in New York and 23 percent in Miami. Levine, Steven R., John Brust, et al. Cerebrovascular Complications of the Use of the 'Crack' Form of Alkaloidal Cocaine. New England Journal of Medicine. September 13, 1990.
Study finds a strong association between crack smoking and stroke.
While crack is equally likely to produce ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, use of cocaine hydrochloride is more often associated with intracranial hemorrhage. Author concludes that strokes, while common, are most likely to occur in users with cerebral aneurysms or malformation of blood vessels. McBride, Duane C. et al. In A National Population of Street Heroin Users. Of those reporting less frequent use of crack, only 14 percent reported needle sharing.