Factors affecting repeated cessations of injecting drug use and relapses during the entire injecting career among the Edinburgh Addiction Cohort.

Background And Aims: Injecting drug use is a chronic condition, with people who inject drugs (PWID) typically experiencing repeated cessations and relapses during their injection careers. We characterize patterns of ceasing and relapsing and the impact of opiate substitution treatment (OST) during the entire injecting careers of PWID in the Edinburgh Addiction Cohort (EAC).

Methods: During 2005-2007, 432 surviving participants of the EAC were interviewed about their injecting histories.

Cannabis, tobacco smoking, and lung function: a cross-sectional observational study in a general practice population.

Background: Health concerns around cannabis use have focused on the potential relationship with psychosis but the effect of cannabis smoking on respiratory health has received less attention.

Aim: To investigate the association between tobacco-only smoking compared with tobacco plus cannabis smoking and adverse outcomes in respiratory health and lung function.

Design And Setting: The design was cross-sectional with two groups recruited: cigarette smokers with tobacco pack-years; cannabis smokers with cannabis joint-years.

Early life influences on the risk of injecting drug use: case control study based on the Edinburgh Addiction Cohort.

Aims: To investigate childhood influences on onset of injection drug use.

Design: Matched case-control study.

Setting: Edinburgh, Scotland.

Survival and cessation in injecting drug users: prospective observational study of outcomes and effect of opiate substitution treatment.

Objectives: To examine survival and long term cessation of injecting in a cohort of drug users and to assess the influence of opiate substitution treatment on these outcomes.

Design: Prospective open cohort study.

Setting: A single primary care facility in Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Addiction Cohort: recruitment and follow-up of a primary care based sample of injection drug users and non drug-injecting controls.

Background: Injection drug use is an important public health problem. Epidemiological understanding of this problem is incomplete as longitudinal studies in the general population are difficult to undertake. In particular little is known about early life risk factors for later drug injection or about the life course of injection once established including the influence of medical and social interventions.

Changing patterns in causes of death in a cohort of injecting drug users, 1980-2001.

Background: High mortality among drug users has been widely recognized. This study investigates, in a large family practice of 10 000 patients in Edinburgh, Scotland, whether there has been a change in causes of mortality over time. Patients known to have ever injected drugs were recruited into a cohort study from 1980 until 2001.

An exploration of the problems faced by young women living in disadvantaged circumstances if they want to give up smoking: can more be done at general practice level?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers faced by women living in deprived circumstances if they want to give up smoking and to determine what help they would like at general practice level.

Methods: The study was set in general practice in an area of socio-economic deprivation in North West Edinburgh. The practice has >10 000 patients.