Table 2.

Determinants of CHC treatment decision in CHC patients >3 months on OMT

Determinants	Treatment start (n=35)	No CHC treatment (n=50)	P-value*
	% (n) or median [IQR]	% (n) or median [IQR]
Demographics:
Male	65.7 [23]	58 [29]
Female	34.3 [12]	42 [21]	0.48
Age (years)	41.8 (37.2-45.1)	37.5 (34.8-43.8)	0.06
Age beginning OMT (years)	35.0 (31.9-39.9)	33.4 (29.2-39.1)	0.45
Opiate maintenance therapy:
Methadone	88.5 (31)	92 (46)
Buprenorphin	8.6 [3]	2 [1]
Morphin	2.9 [1]	6 [3]	0.51
Single OMT therapy	88.6 (31)	86 (43)
Use of ≥1 different opiate in the past	11.4 [4]	14 [7]	1.0
Duration of OMT (months)	55.0 (35.0-110.1)	24.0 (9.8-46.3)	<0.001#
Average methadone dose during OMT (mg)	73 (50–120)	73 (50–122)	0.83
Psychiatric comorbidity:
None or stable disorder	68.6 [24]	52 [24]
Unstable disorder	31.4 [11]	48 [26]	0.060
Injection drug use (IDU):
In the past, yes	91 (32)	94 (47)
In the past, no	9 [3]	6 [3]	0.69
Current, yes	8.6 [3]	24 [12]
Current, no	91.4 (32)	76 (38)	0.086
Other drug and excessive alcohol use:
Current heroin use	20 [7]	32 [16]
No heroin use	80 [28]	68 (34)	0.22
Current cocaine use	25.7 [9]	26 [13]
No cocaine use	74.3 [26]	74 (37)	0.98
Current benzodiazepine use	14.7 [5]	26 [12]
No benzodiazepine use	85.3 [29]	74 (38)	0.41
Excessive alcohol use	28.6 [10]	34 [17]
No alcohol excess	71.4 [25]	66 (33)	0.60
Occupational and housing variables:
Employability (%)	60 (30–100)	60 (30–100)	0.52
Single household	40 [14]	34 [17]
Shared household	51.4 [18]	56 [28]
Other lodging	8.6 [3]	10 [5]	0.90
HIV-co-infection†
HIV positive	14.7 [5]	23.9 [11]
HIV negative	85.3 [29]	76.1 (35)	0.40

*Group comparisons by Chi-square or Fisher exact as appropriate and Mann–Whitney test;

^# remained independently associated with treatment start after controlling for age, sex, psychiatric comorbidity, IDU, drug and alcohol use, employability, housing and HIV-co-infection with an OR (95% CI) of 1.02 (1.006-1.04) (p=0.01); ^†HIV-status was missing in 5 patients.