The impact of buprenorphine and methadone on mortality: a primary care cohort study in the United Kingdom.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

To estimate whether opioid substitution treatment (OST) with buprenorphine or methadone is associated with a greater reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) and opioid drug-related poisoning (DRP) mortality.

Design

Cohort study with linkage between clinical records from Clinical Practice Research Datalink and mortality register.

Setting

UK primary care.

Participants

A total of 11 033 opioid-dependent patients who received OST from 1998 to 2014, followed-up for 30 410 person-years.

Measurements

Exposure to methadone (17 373, 61%) OST episodes or buprenorphine (9173, 39%) OST episodes. ACM was available for all patients; information on cause of death and DRP was available for 5935 patients (54%) followed-up for 16 363 person-years. Poisson

SUBMITTER: Hickman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6282737 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature