1. Influence of polysubstance use on the health-related quality of life among people who inject drugs undergoing opioid agonist treatment following treatment for hepatitis C virus.
- Author
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Gormley, Mirinda Ann, Zhang, Wanfang, Self, Stella, Ewing, Joseph A., Heo, Moonseong, Roth, Prerana, Pericot-Valverde, Irene, Rennert, Lior, Akiyama, Matthew J., Norton, Brianna L., and Litwin, Alain H.
- Subjects
SUBSTANCE abuse ,RESEARCH funding ,T-test (Statistics) ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,CHI-squared test ,QUALITY of life ,OPIOID analgesics ,MARITAL status ,HEPATITIS C ,EDUCATIONAL attainment ,EMPLOYMENT - Abstract
Background: Treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people who inject drugs (PWID) has been associated with increased health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Polysubstance use (PSU) is common among PWID, but no studies have investigated PSU influence on PWID's HRQOL HCV treatment. Methods: Participants included 150 PWID receiving HCV treatment at opioid agonist treatment clinics in Bronx, NY. The EQ-5D-3 L measurement tool assessed five health dimensions producing an index of HRQOL measured at baseline, 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks during treatment and 12- and 24-weeks post-treatment. PSU was determined at baseline. Generalized estimating equations assessed the influence of baseline PSU on changes in mean EQ-5D-3 L index over time. Results: Of the 150 participants, 46 (30.7%) reported PSU and mean HRQOL overall was 0.655, indicating moderate HRQOL. Mean HRQOL was lower at all time-points for the PSU group compared to the non-PSU group. Though PSU group showed improvements in mean HRQOL from baseline (0.614) to 4-, 12- and follow-up week 24 (0.765, 0.768, and 0.731, respectively), the mean change of HRQOL scores was not significantly associated with PSU (p-value =.956). Conclusions: For individuals with PWID, our study showed no difference in HRQOL between those who did and did not engage in PSU following HCV treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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