Dr. Cotton is with the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing, Kingston. Dr. Bruce is with the Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Bryson is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle.
Psychiatr Serv. 2018 Mar 1;69(3):338-340. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201700137. Epub 2017 Nov 1.
In a demographic shift, older adults now comprise an increasing proportion of those receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for opioid use disorder. A study of MMT recipients in New York City suggests that 13% of the population is over 60 years of age. Adults ages 50-59 are among the largest age demographic, evidence that the number of older adults receiving MMT will continue to increase. Because medical comorbidities, cognitive impairment, and neurobehavioral changes often accumulate with age, older adults on MMT become increasingly vulnerable. The cost of MMT and logistical considerations also pose challenges to continued care. Together, these issues warrant a reconsideration of emerging concerns and health policies related to use of MMT in this growing and understudied population. Given the changing health care system and the opioid epidemic, the need for evidence-based guidelines and supportive policies that consider the unique treatment needs of older populations is especially relevant.
在人口结构变化中，越来越多的老年人接受美沙酮维持治疗（MMT）来治疗阿片类药物使用障碍。一项对纽约市 MMT 受治者的研究表明，13%的人口年龄在 60 岁以上。50-59 岁的成年人是最大的年龄群体之一，这表明接受 MMT 的老年人数量将继续增加。由于医疗合并症、认知障碍和神经行为变化随着年龄的增长而经常累积，接受 MMT 的老年人变得越来越脆弱。MMT 的成本和后勤考虑因素也对持续护理构成挑战。这些问题共同需要重新考虑与这一不断增长且研究不足的人群使用 MMT 相关的新出现的问题和健康政策。鉴于不断变化的医疗保健系统和阿片类药物流行，制定考虑到老年人群体独特治疗需求的循证指南和支持性政策尤为重要。
