[ad_1]
A study of injecting drug users found a significant increase in the risk of infectious endocarditis, a serious infection of the lining of the heart, possibly related to increased use of opioid hydromorphone. The study is published in CMAJ (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association).
Infectious endocarditis can be life threatening.
"We have observed a substantial increase in the risk of infective endocarditis among injecting drug users, which is badociated with the increasing share of hydromorphone in the prescription opioid market," write the authors, whose first author, Dr. Matthew Weir, badociate researcher at Lawson Health Research. Institute and Adjunct Professor at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario.
Researchers examined Ontario drug user data from the administrative health databases of ICES from April 2006 to September 2015. There were 60,529 hospital admissions of injecting drug users and 733 of them had an infectious endocarditis related to drug injection. Although admission rates for injection drug users remained stable over the study period, the risk of infective endocarditis rose from 13.4 admissions every three months (fourth trimester). 2011) to 35.1 admissions every three months in the next period.
While the percentage of opioid prescriptions attributed to oxycodone controlled release decreased rapidly after its withdrawal from the market by its manufacturer in the fourth quarter of 2011, hydromorphone prescriptions are pbaded from 16% at the beginning of the study to 53% at the end.
Researchers were expecting an increased risk of infectious endocarditis after withdrawal from the Canadian market of controlled release oxycodone. However, they found that the rise had begun before the move.
"Although our observations do not support our hypothesis that the loss of controlled release oxycodone increases the use of hydromorphone, they reinforce our suspicion that hydromorphone could play a role. in the growing risk of infectious endocarditis, "says co-author, Dr. Michael Silverman, badociate scientist at Lawson and badociate professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
The increased risk of infectious endocarditis is consistent with the findings of other studies, but the observed timing for this increase was new.
"The increase of this serious complication related to injecting drug use and the possible badociation with hydromorphone require further studies," suggest the authors.
Source of the story:
Material provided by Journal of the Canadian Medical Association. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
Source link
