Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and addiction history of patients.
| SROM (n = 102) | Methadone (n = 100) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | |||
| Gender—n (%) | |||
| Male | 78 (76.5) | 74 (74.0) | 0.684 |
| Female | 24 (23.5) | 26 (26.0) | |
| Age (years) | |||
| Mean ± SD (median) | 27.4 ± 6.2 (26.2) | 28.2 ± 7.5 (26.0) | 0.697 |
| Body mass index (BMI) | |||
| Mean ± SD (median) | 23.3 ± 4.9 (22.7) | 23.0 ± 4.3 (22.2) | 0.865 |
| Hepatitis B positive—n (%) | 6 (5.9) | 4 (4.0) | 0.538 |
| Hepatitis C positive—n (%) | 29 (28.4) | 42 (42.0) | 0.043 |
| Hepatitis B+C positive—n (%) | 32 (31.3) | 26 (26.0) | 0.399 |
| HIV + hepatitis B+C positive—n (%) | 3 (2.9) | 1 (1.0) | 0.322 |
| Maintenance regimen prior to study entry | |||
| SROM—n (%) | 76 (74.5) | 79 (79.0) | 0.450 |
| Methadone—n (%) | 26 (25.5) | 21 (21.0) | |
| Addiction history | |||
| Age (years) at first heroin use | 17.9 ± 5.2 (17.0) | 18.3 ± 5.0 (17.0) | 0.325 |
| Years of heroin use | 5.2 ± 4.3 (4.0) | 4.9 ± 4.4 (4.0) | 0.795 |
| Age (years) at first cocaine use | 18.4 ± 6.7 (18.0) | 18.4 ± 7.6 (18.0) | 0.852 |
| Age (years) at first multisubstance abuse | 16.5 ± 6.5 (16.0) | 17.8 ± 5.2 (17.0) | 0.128 |
| Years of multi-substance abuse | 7.7 ± 6.0 (6.0) | 7.9 ± 5.6 (6.0) | 0.673 |
| Number of in-patient detoxifications | 1.1 ± 3.9 (0.0) | 1.0 ± 2.2 (0.0) | 0.581 |
| Duration of drug-free period (months) | 9.9 ± 21.9 (2.0) | 5.7 ± 10.2 (1.0) | 0.312 |
Data presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) (median). HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; SROM: slow-release oral morphine.