Original research
by
Gomes, Tara et al
Release Date
2021
Geography
Canada
Language of Resource
English
Full Text Available
No
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
No
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Objective
Opioid use among people who inject drugs can lead to serious complications, including infections. We sought to study trends in rates of these complications among people with an opioid use disorder (OUD) and the sequelae of those hospitalizations.
Findings/Key points
Rates of serious infections among people with OUD are rising, placing a significant burden on patients. These findings suggest that early intervention and treatment of infections in this population are needed to prevent downstream harm.
Design/methods
We analyzed all inpatient hospitalizations for serious infections (infective endocarditis [IE], spinal infections, nonvertebral bone infections, and skin or soft tissue infections) among people with OUD in Ontario between 2013 and 2019.
Keywords
Mortality
Harm reduction
About PWUD
Illegal drugs
Hospitals
