Franchetti Giorgia, Thierauf-Emberger Annette, Franz Anette, Thoma Vanessa, Auwärter Volker, Huppertz Laura M
Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Unit of Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Front Psychiatry. 2023 Feb 28;14:1139370. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1139370. eCollection 2023.
The use of non-prescribed opioid substitution drugs is a serious public health problem, involving general population as well as vulnerable populations such as prisoners. The estimation of the prevalence of opioid substitution drug misuse in prisoners is crucial to suggest strategies to contrast this phenomenon and reduce the associated morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to provide an objective estimation of the prevalence of illicit use of methadone and buprenorphine in two German prisons. Urine samples were collected from inmates of Freiburg and Offenburg prisons at random times and tested for the detection of methadone, buprenorphine and their metabolites. Analyses were performed by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. In total 678 inmates participated in this study. The participation rate was about 60% of all permanent inmates. Of the 675 samples suitable for the analysis, 70 samples (10.4%) tested positive for methadone, 70 samples (10.4%) for buprenorphine, and 4 samples (0.6%) for both drugs. At least 100 samples (14.8%) were not associated with reported prescribed-opioid substitution treatment (OST). Buprenorphine was the most common illicitly used drug. In one of the prisons, buprenorphine was brought in from the outside. The present cross-sectional experimental study was able to provide reliable information regarding the illicit use of opioid substitution drugs in prisons.
使用非处方阿片类替代药物是一个严重的公共卫生问题，涉及普通人群以及囚犯等弱势群体。估计囚犯中阿片类替代药物滥用的流行率对于提出应对这一现象的策略并降低相关的发病率和死亡率至关重要。本研究旨在客观估计德国两所监狱中非法使用美沙酮和丁丙诺啡的流行率。在随机时间从弗莱堡和奥芬堡监狱的囚犯中收集尿液样本，并检测其中美沙酮、丁丙诺啡及其代谢物。采用经过验证的液相色谱 - 串联质谱法（LC-MS/MS）进行分析。共有678名囚犯参与了本研究。参与率约为所有常住囚犯的60%。在675份适合分析的样本中，70份（10.4%）美沙酮检测呈阳性，7份（10.4%）丁丙诺啡检测呈阳性，4份（0.6%）两种药物检测均呈阳性。至少100份样本（14.8%）与报告的处方阿片类替代治疗（OST）无关。丁丙诺啡是最常被非法使用的药物。在其中一所监狱中，丁丙诺啡是从外部带入的。本横断面实验研究能够提供有关监狱中阿片类替代药物非法使用的可靠信息。
