title: Health conditions among aging narcotics addicts: medical examination results.
abstract: The study examined health conditions among an aging cohort of male narcotics addicts. This prospective cohort study (1964-1998) included interviews and medical testing for 108 surviving subjects who had been admitted to the California Civil Addict Program during the years 1962 through 1964. Medical testing results were: 51.9% had high blood pressure, 22.4% showed hyperlipidemia, 13.3% had elevated levels of blood glucose, 33.6% had abnormal pulmonary function, half of the sample had abnormal liver function, and 94.2% tested positive for hepatitis C, 85.6% for hepatitis B, 3.8% for syphilis, and 27.3% for TB. The study empirically demonstrated poor health conditions and high morbidity among surviving narcotics addicts.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, California 90025, USA. yhser@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Yih-Ing
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Hser
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gelberg
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Grella
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: M Douglas
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Anglin
mesh_terms: D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*