Epidemiological characterization of users in two methadone maintenance programs in Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21134/934Keywords:
Methadone, Heroin Dependence, Opioid-Related Disorders, TramadolAbstract
Objective: to characterize epidemiologically the users of two methadone maintenance programs in two cities of Colombia. Methods: cross-sectional analytical observational study that analyzed the clinical records of patients in two methadone maintenance programs in Medellin and Cali during the year 2022. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed. Results: 250 patients between 17 and 67 years of age participated with a median age of 33 years (RIC = 29 - 38). 80.4% (n=201) were men, heroin was the main opioid for which they were admitted with a proportion of 88.8% (n=222), followed by tramadol; 27.6% (n=69) shared syringes for intravenous use and 92.0% (n=230) reported consuming two or more drugs at the same time, with marijuana and cocaine being the main substances consumed simultaneously with opioids. The most prevalent comorbidities were: personality disorders, hepatitis C infection and illegal behavior. Conclusions: intravenous heroin use and syringe sharing were associated with an increased risk of hepatitis C and HIV. A novel finding is the admission of individuals to the program for exclusive use of tramadol, which, although it is related to global trends in the phenomenon of abuse of opioids for medical use, has not been a frequent event in the Colombian context.
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