Poppers are the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma
Previous research has shown that use of poppers may be associated with transient immunosuppression in animal models and may facilitate infection with cancer-causing viruses such as human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8), which causes Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS). A new report from the prospective observational Multicentre AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) suggests that heavy use of poppers might be associated with increased risk of individual virus-associated cancers. This link was observed in HIV negative men but not in men who were HIV positive. Heavy use was defined as daily or weekly for at least a year. The study was reported by Anupriya Dutta and colleagues from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. [1] [...] This research provides evidence that heavy use of poppers (daily or weekly for at least 1 year), is significantly associated with the risk of virus-related cancers in MSM who are HIV negative and this risk becomes greater over the age of 50.