evidence: Early in the AIDS epidemic, public health officials thought that poppers, a popular party inhalant used by gay men, might be a cause of the disease. When AIDS was proven to be caused by an infectious agent, most people dismissed poppers as having no relevance to HIV. [...] It’s also possible that poppers cause immunosuppression. "Animal studies have shown that there is some immunosuppression — the immune cells don’t function as well," Colfax says. "I don’t think you can make any conclusions about what may be happening in people, but it suggests there might be something else going on with poppers." [...] Early in the AIDS epidemic, public health officials thought that poppers, a popular party inhalant used by gay men, might be a cause of the disease. When AIDS was proven to be caused by an infectious agent, most people dismissed poppers as having no relevance to HIV. Now, more than 20 years later, research continues to show a strong link between the use of poppers and HIV risk behaviors.Subscribe Now for Access