Survival study of opioid addicts in relation to its adherence to methadone maintenance treatment.
OBJECTIVE
To study the putative role of methadone maintenance treatment in the improvement of life expectancy of opioid addicts.


METHODS
Retrospective longitudinal study.


METHODS
All 1487 patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Alicante between June 1990 and December 1997.


METHODS
Mortality rates were studied using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Protection or risk factors were analyzed using Cox's proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
Mortality rates decreased from 87/1000 in 1991 to 17/1000 in 1997. The following factors influenced mortality: HIV infection [Hazard Ratio (HR)=7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=4-12]; current methadone status (HR=3.2, 95%CI=1.5-7.1) and MMT retention (retained vs. drop-out, HR=0.5, 95%CI=0.2-1.1; re-enrolled vs. drop-out, HR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2-0.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Expediting entry and re-enrolling in methadone maintenance treatment improves survival.
Esteban
Javier
J
División de Toxicología, Instituto de Bioingenieri;a, Edificio Vinalopó, Campus de Elche, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Del Ferrocarril S/N, Spain. jesteban@umh.es
Gimeno
Carmen
C
Barril
José
J
Aragonés
Amparo
A
Climent
José María
JM
de la Cruz Pellín
María
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends
D008691:Methadone