Heroin use over long periods of time can cause infection of the heart lining or heart valves, regardless of how it’s taken. It damages both the liver and kidneys, and also can lead to arthritis or other rheumatological problems. Intravenous drug users who use dirty needles are also at high risk for contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C and B. Heroin users can pass these diseases on to non-using partners through sexual transmission.
Heroin addicts often have reproductive problems, sexual dysfunction, and menstrual irregularities. If a woman becomes pregnant while abusing heroin, she may spontaneously abort, or if she gives birth, the baby may suffer from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Babies born to heroin addicts are often premature, underweight, and may have other health problems. They are born addicted and have to go through withdrawal, while also being more susceptible to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and may grow up to have developmental or behavioral problems. Heroin can also cause or exacerbate mental illnesses such as depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other personality disorders.