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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2016, 18, 3 (pages: 15 - 22)

The filing of addicts at addiction units is correlated with a reduction in mortality due to illicit opioids, but also to prescribed opioids and other substances of abuse

Lovrecic M., Lovrecic B., Selb Semerl J., Maremmani I., and Maremmani A.G.

Summary: Background: Opioid agonist treatment reduces mortality in heroin addicts. This study investigates differences in causes of death between people whose data were filed at addiction units and those whose data had never been filed at addiction units. Methods: All drug users who applied for opioid agonist treatment in Slovenia in the period 2004-2006 were cross-linked through a general mortality register and a special mortality register. The vital status of cohort members was checked at the mortality register on the last day of follow-up (covering the period from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2007). Results: Out of 331 deceased people, the data of 232 proved to have been filed whereas the data of the other 99 had not been filed at any addiction treatment unit. The mean age of all the deceased was 32.2 years; 85% were males. Of all deaths, 63% were due to an overdose. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant, Three-quarters of the cases of poisoning were found in the group without data filed, while, among the group whose data had been filed, cases of poisoning were present in less than half of the victims. 88.7% of all overdoses were due to opioids (whether illicit narcotics or prescription opioids), with a higher proportion of overdoses due to prescription opioids and other prescription drugs occurring in the group without filed data. Conclusion: Among those whose data had not been filed at the addiction units, a greater percentage of deaths proved to be due to an overdose, mostly of heroin or prescription opioids, including methadone, than was true of the population of addicts whose data were on file. Younger subjects, in the second group, were subject to greater risks.