PMID: 9445761Jan 19, 1996Paper

Observational analysis of German injecting drug users (IDU): survival with and without methadone maintenance treatment. German AIDS Study Group GASG/IdkF

European Journal of Medical Research

Abstract

There are conflicting data on the effects of morphines on immunological functions in injecting drug users (IDU). In order to address whether methadone maintenance therapy for IDU with HIV infection results in any clinically important effects we did an observational study prompted by the fact that prospective trials are difficult to perform in IDU. Data on 1554 HIV-infected IDU were collected at 20 HIV/AIDS treatment centers using a standardized questionnaire. Items included demographic data, CD4 counts, HIV specific conditions and treatment. Patients who "ever received methadone" were compared to those who "never received methadone". The mean observation time was 3.4 +/- 1.9 years. Using a stepwise Cox regression model, a low CD4 count, no antiretroviral therapy, no methadone therapy (p=0.0002), higher age and male sex were identified as independent predictors of shortened survival. Kaplan-Meier estimates indicated that patients with methadone had better survival (p=0.0002) after 200 CD4 cells and in matched pairs with a mean CD4 count of 520 +/- 315/microl at baseline CD4 slopes did no differ significantly. This is a retrospective observational analysis which implicates several limitations in interpretation. There was no evide...Continue Reading

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