The risk of emergency room treatment due to overdose in injection drug users.

This cohort study was conducted to identify risk factors for lifetime emergency room treatment due to overdose in injection drug users. Data of 1049 patients on admission for opioid detoxification were analyzed. More than every third injection drug user (34.

Risk Factors and predictors of human immunodeficiency virus infection among injection drug users.

Background/aim: Injection drug users (IDUs) have a high risk of acquiring an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To improve counseling and prevention, a better understanding of risk factors and predictors for an infection must be gained. This retrospective study has the aim to determine the risk factors for acquisition of HIV infection other than sharing of needles/syringes.

Hepatitis C virus infection and injection drug users: prevention, risk factors, and treatment.

Injection drug users (IDUs) are the largest group of persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with a prevalence of 50%-90%. The transmission of HCV is not the effect of the drug injected but of sharing contaminated equipment. For the sake of prevention, we have to know which factors are more likely to lead to HCV seroconversion and which particular situations and environments are risk factors for equipment sharing.

Infrequent reinfection after successful treatment for hepatitis C virus infection in injection drug users.

We followed-up 18 injection drug users for a mean of 33.8 months (range, 4-55 months) after successful treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Fifteen (83%) of the patients remained HCV RNA-negative, 1 patient was not tested, and 2 patients had test results positive for HCV RNA.

Alcohol consumption in heroin users, methadone-substituted and codeine-substituted patients--frequency and correlates of use.

This retrospective study aims to determine whether there is a difference in the additional consumption of alcohol between addicts treated with methadone or dihydrocodeine (DHC) and untreated addicts injecting heroin. 1685 patients admitted for opioid withdrawal between 1991 and 1997 were reviewed. Cross-reference tables and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out.