Patients in long-term maintenance therapy for drug use in Italy: analysis of some parameters of social integration and serological status for infectious diseases in a cohort of 1091 patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heroin addiction often severely disrupts normal social functioning. The aims of this multi-centre study of heroin users in long-term replacement treatment were: i) to provide information on aspects of social condition such as employment, educational background, living status, partner status and any history of drug addiction for partners, comparing these data with that of the general population; ii) to assess the prevalence of hepatitis, syphilis and HIV, because serological status could be a reflection of the social conditions of patients undergoing replacement treatment for drug addiction; iii) to analyse possible relationships between social conditions and serological status.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out in sixteen National Health Service Drug

SUBMITTER: Quaglio G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1570141 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature