ĐẶC ĐIỂM DỊCH TỄ HỌC VÀ LÂM SÀNG CỦA BỆNH NHÂN ĐANG ĐIỀU TRỊ METHADONE TẠI THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH

Abstract

Background: Opioid dependence is a chronic and relapsing disorder that results from the long-term effects of drugs on the brain. Not all people who use opioids, long-term, become dependent because many risk and protective factors interact to determine the possibility of dependence. Objective: To identify the proportion of epidemiological and clinical characteristics among Methadone maintenance treatment patients in Ho Chi Minh City. Methods: A cross – sectional study was conducted in 450 MMT in Ho Chi Minh city. To cover a wide range of patient characteristics, systematic random sampling method with sample interval of 2 was used to recruit patients. Data collected by face-to-face interview with prepared questionnaires and medical records. Results: Among 450 patients in the analysis, most were male (92.0%) and the mean age was 37.4 years. There were one-fourth lived with a person who used drugs (26.2%) There were 17.8% of participants who feel that their economy is really difficult. About two-thirds of patients on Methadone maintenance treatment had comorbidities (66.7%). There were 37.3% patients on antiretroviral therapy and 31.8% of patients with 2 or more diseases. About two-thirds of participants initiated drug use at the age of 20 years or more, in which the youngest age was 10 years old and the highest age was 45 years old. The percentage of patients with positive drug test results accounted for 17.3%. The average daily methadone dose was 126.8 mg (SD = 83.8, range 5–430). Nearly 60% of patients had methadone-related side effects. Conclusion: Ho Chi Minh City was a key drug area, with the highest number of drug addicts in the country, leading to an increase in HIV infection proportion. It was necessary to strengthen the communication and education of drug knowledge for young people because this age group was often curious, live discovery and challenges but lacks defense knowledge and lack of bravery can make them easily fall into the trap of drugs.