1. Coronary artery disease and opioid use.
- Author
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Marmor M, Penn A, Widmer K, Levin RI, and Maslansky R
- Subjects
- Adult, Autopsy, Coronary Artery Disease pathology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Medical Records, Middle Aged, New York City epidemiology, Retrospective Studies, Severity of Illness Index, Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Coronary Artery Disease epidemiology, Coronary Artery Disease etiology, Opioid-Related Disorders complications
- Abstract
Over the past 20 years, we have observed a paucity of morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease among drug users in a methadone maintenance clinic. The present study investigated whether long-term exposure to opiates or opioids is associated with decreased severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) by comparing 98 decedents with methadone or opiates (M/O) in their blood at autopsy with 97 frequency-matched decedents without M/O. Severe CAD was found significantly less often in M/O-positive decedents (5 of 98) than in M/O-negative decedents (16 of 97). Multiple logistic regression analysis contrasting those with moderate or severe CAD to those with no or mild CAD yielded an odds ratio of 0.43 (95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.94) for M/O positivity after adjustment for potential confounding. Long-term opiate exposure thus may mitigate CAD severity and its often fatal consequences.
- Published
- 2004
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