title: Life expectancy and productivity loss among narcotics addicts thirty-three years after index treatment.
abstract: This study computed the life expectancy of a cohort of male narcotics addicts followed for 33 years and assessed the productivity lost as a result of premature mortality. The future life expectancy was constructed for the narcotics addicts and for a comparable cohort from the general U.S. population. The average future life expectancy of the cohort was 18.84 years compared to 33.48 years for comparable U.S. males (t = 49.49, p < .00001). As a result of this premature mortality, the estimated monetary value of lost productivity was greater than 174 million dollars. The lives of heroin addicts were severely truncated at productive ages resulting in a loss of potential productivity that increases social and economic burdens.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Substance Abuse Programs, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA.
authors.forename: Breda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yih-Ing
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Hser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004526:Efficiency; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D026712:Value of Life / Q000191:economics