Mortality among individuals accessing pharmacological treatment for opioid dependence in California, 2006 - 2010

Below: Crude mortality rates by cause of death according to in-treatment and out-of-treatment periods

The primary outcome was mortality, indicated by time to death, crude mortality rates (CMR), and standardized mortality ratios (SMR).

Individuals being treated for opioid dependence had a more than four-fold increase of mortality risk compared with the general population (SMR 4.5 95% CI: 4.2, 4.8). Mortality risk was higher (1) when individuals were out-of-treatment (SMR 6.1, 95% CI: 5.7, 6.5) than in-treatment (SMR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.6, 2.1) and (2) during detoxification (SMR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5, 3.8) than during MMT (SMR 1.8, 95% CI 1.5, 2.1), especially in the two weeks post-treatment entry (SMR 5.5, 95% CI 2.7, 9.8 versus SMR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7, 4.9). Detoxification and MMT both independently reduced the instantaneous hazard of all-cause and drug-related mortality. MMT preceded by detoxification was associated with lower all-cause and other-cause-specific mortality than MMT alone.

In people with opiate dependence, detoxification and methadone maintenance treatment both independently reduce the instantaneous hazard of all-cause and drug-related mortality.

Via:   http://ht.ly/O46n0  HT @UCLAHealth