Search

Introduction: Buprenorphine maintenance treatment (BMT) is widely used in Iran, and its use is growing continuously. We reviewed studies on buprenorphine use, non-prescribed use, use disorder and treatment-seeking for it, buprenorphine-associated poisoning, and mortality in Iran in the current systematic review.Methods: An Iranian database (Scientific Information Database; SID) and three International electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched for publications up to August 2020 for the relevant data. Opportunistic methods (Contact with experts and backward citation tracking) were also used for this purpose. Identified records were screened for eligibility criteria, and data of included studies were extracted. For context, the trend of BMT in the country was also examined.Results: Ten studies were found on the prevalence of non-prescribed buprenorphine use, seven were on the regular use and use disorder, and two studies on buprenorphine poisoning. The last 12-month prevalence of non-prescribed use was lower than 0.5 % in the general population, university, and high school students. The indicator was 2.5 % among persons who use drugs in a 2018 national study. The proportion of buprenorphine poisoning was 4.9 % among all illicit substance poisoning cases admitted to a hospital. The proportion of buprenorphine poisoning cases among all acute pediatric drug poisoning cases increased from 1.2 % to 2.5 % in a 3-year study.Conclusion: Despite the expansion of BMT in Iran in the last decade, the adverse health consequences associated with buprenorphine are infrequent, when compared to other opioids used in Iran, suggesting the safety of BMT for future expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Illicit drug use is a prevalent risk behavior among female sex workers (FSWs) as it increases the vulnerability of this marginalized population to negative health outcomes, including HIV infection. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of injection and non-injection drug use among FSWs in Iran.Methods: Systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO (for English records), along with Iranian databases including IranMedex, Iran Psych Magiran, Scientific Information Database, and Irandoc (for Farsi records) were conducted for studies published from inception through to July 2020. We included quantitative studies on injection and non-injection drug use among FSWs. The pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of recent and lifetime drug injection and non-injection were estimated using random-effects meta-analysis.Results: Of 458 screened records, 19 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of recent non-injection drug use and injection drug use was 56.94% (95% CI: 44.68, 68.78) and 5.67% (95% CI: 2.09, 10.73), respectively. Opium (33.00%, 95% CI: 24.53, 42.05) and crystal methamphetamine (20.68%, 95% CI: 13.59, 28.79) were the most prevalent recent non-injection drugs used. Additionally, the pooled prevalence of lifetime non-injection drug use was 76.08% (95% CI: 66.81, 84.27) and injection drug use was 10.72% (95% CI: 7.02, 15.07).Conclusions: This systematic review shows that drug use, both injection and non-injection, is prevalent among FSWs in Iran. These findings highlight the importance of evidence-based harm reduction and treatment programs to reduce the burdens of drug use and its associated potential consequences among these underserved women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]