Table 1:
Characteristics of adults age ≥50 on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and comparison with Health and Retirement Study (HRS) controls
| Characteristic | New York City site (n=33) | Rhode Island site (n=14) | p-value | Total MMT cohort (n=47) | HRS cohort (n=470) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||||
| Age, years mean (sd) | 58.4 (5.8) | 59.8 (5.8) | 0.45 | 58.8 (5.8) | 58.8 (5.7) | 1.00 |
| Age range, years | 50–75 | 52–68 | 50–75 | 50–75 | ||
| Women, n (%) | 7 (21.2) | 4 (28.6) | 0.59 | 11 (23.4) | 110 (23.4) | 1.00 |
| Race, n (%) | ||||||
| African American | 13 (39.4) | 0 | 0.006 | 13 (27.7) | 130 (27.7) | 1.00 |
| White | 20 (60.6) | 13 (92.9) | 0.03 | 33 (70.2) | 330 (70.2) | |
| Multiracial/other | 0 | 1 (7.2) | 0.12 | 1 (2.1) | 10 (2.1) | |
| Hispanic or Latino, n (%) | 10 (30.3) | 0 | 0.02 | 10 (21.3) | 100 (21.3) | |
| Married or partnered, n (%) | 4 (12.1) | 5 (35.7) | 0.06 | 9 (19.2) | 103 (21.9) | <0.001 |
| < High school education, n (%) | 26 (78.8) | 10 (71.4) | 0.59 | 36 (76.6) | 398 (84.7) | 0.15 |
| Self-rated health, n (%) | ||||||
| Poor/Fair | 23 (69.7) | 9 (64.3) | 0.72 | 32 (68.1) | 133 (28.3) | <0.001 |
| Good | 5 (15.2) | 2 (14.3) | 0.94 | 7 (14.9) | 169 (36.0) | <0.001 |
| Very Good/Excellent | 5 (15.2) | 3 (21.4) | 0.61 | 8 (17.0) | 168 (35.7) | <0.001 |
| Chronic medical disease, n (%) | ||||||
| Hypertension | 19 (57.6) | 9 (64.3) | 0.67 | 28 (59.6) | 267 (56.8) | 0.72 |
| Diabetes | 5 (15.2) | 4 (28.6) | 0.29 | 9 (19.2) | 109 (23.2) | 0.78 |
| Heart diseasea | 4 (12.1) | 2 (14.3) | 0.84 | 6 (12.8) | 89 (18.9) | 0.55 |
| Stroke | 2 (6.1) | 2 (14.3) | 0.36 | 4 (8.5) | 21 (4.5) | 0.22 |
| Arthritis | 19 (57.6) | 7 (50.0) | 0.64 | 26 (55.3) | 193 (41.1) | 0.06 |
| Cancerb | 6 (18.2) | 3 (21.4) | 0.80 | 9 (19.2) | 42 (8.9) | 0.03 |
| Chronic lung diseasec | 15 (45.5) | 5 (35.7) | 0.54 | 20 (42.6) | 36 (7.7) | <0.001 |
| Psychiatric diseased | 26 (78.8) | 8 (57.1) | 0.13 | 34 (72.3) | 13 (27.7) | <0.001 |
| Hepatitis C | 14 (42.4) | 5 (35.7) | 0.67 | 19 (40.4) | N/Ae | |
| HIV/AIDS | 6 (18.2) | 1 (7.1) | 0.33 | 7 (14.9) | N/Ae | |
| Healthcare and insurance | ||||||
| Medicare, n (%) | 11 (33.3) | 8 (57.1) | 0.13 | 19 (40.4) | 134 (28.5) | 0.09 |
| Medicaid, n (%) | 31 (93.9) | 8 (57.1) | 0.002 | 39 (83.0) | 64 (13.6) | <0.001 |
| Hospitalized in past two years, n (%) | 18 (54.5) | 9 (64.3) | 0.54 | 27 (57.5) | 103 (21.9) | <0.001 |
| Mean number of hospitalizations (sd) | 2.3 (2.1) | 3.3 (3.0) | 0.20 | 2.6 (2.4) | 3.0 (8.9) | 0.84 |
| Total number of nights hospitalized (sd) | 15.5 (21.7) | 20.7 (29.1) | 0.50 | 17.2 (23.9) | 9.4 (15.9) | 0.04 |
| Primary opioid prior to MMT, n (%) | ||||||
| Heroin | 25 (75.8) | 4 (30.8) | 0.004 | 29 (63.0) | N/Ae | |
| Prescription opioids | 5 (15.2) | 5 (38.5) | 0.08 | 10 (21.7) | N/Ae | |
| Both | 3 (9.1) | 4 (31.8) | 0.05 | 7 (15.2) | N/Ae | |
| Mean duration MMT in months (sd) | 60.7 (100.4) | 131 (107.4) | 0.04 | 81.7 (106.4) | N/Ae | |
| Mean methadone dose in mg (sd) | 90.1 (46.1) | 107.6 (78.6) | 0.34 | 95.3 (57.4) | N/Ae | |
| Substance use (past 3-month), n (%) | ||||||
| Cannabis | 6 (18.2) | 5 (34.7) | 0.22 | 11 (23.4) | N/Ae | |
| Cocaine | 8 (24.2) | 0 | 0.05 | 8 (17.0) | N/Ae | |
| Current smoker | 21 (63.6) | 4 (28.6) | 0.03 | 25 (53.2) | 93 (19.8) | <0.001 |
| Positive AUDIT-c scoref | 5 (15.2) | 1 (7.1) | 0.45 | 6 (12.8) | N/Ae |
a
Coronary artery disease and/or congestive heart failure;
b
Excluding minor skin cancer;
c
Bronchitis or emphysema;
d
Defined as having emotional, nervous, or psychiatric problems;
e
Not available in HRS;
f
Score of ≥3