Outpatient methadone maintenance treatment program. Quality of life and health of opioid-dependent persons in Lithuania.

BACKGROUND

The evaluation of quality of life and self-perceived health represents an assessment of the impact of treatment on patient functioning and well-being.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to explore the impact of methadone maintenance treatment on quality of life and self-perceived health of opioid-dependent persons in Lithuania.

METHODS

A total of 102 opioid-dependent patients were recruited in the study. A prospective follow-up study design was used. To assess quality of life, the WHOQOL-BREF 26-item version was used. The impact of methadone maintenance treatment on self-perceived health was assessed by Opiate Treatment Index (OTI).

RESULTS

Following 6 months of methadone maintenance treatment, significant improvements in physical (P=0.004), psychological (P=0.004), and environmental (P=0.048) components of quality of life were observed; no statistically significant improvements were found in social component of quality of life. Study participants reported lower rates of medical morbidity associated with injection (P<0.001), cardiorespiratory (P=0.034), musculoskeletal (P<0.001), neurological (P=0.013), gastrointestinal (P<0.001), and general health (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Methadone maintenance treatment substantially reduces morbidity associated with opioid dependence and improves the quality of life of patients.