Association of Opioid Agonist Treatment With All-Cause Mortality and Specific Causes of Death Among People With Opioid Dependence A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Source:

Santo T, Clark B, Hickman M, et al. Association of Opioid Agonist Treatment With All-Cause Mortality and Specific Causes of Death Among People With Opioid Dependence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021;78(9):979–993. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0976

Key Points

Question  Is opioid agonist treatment (OAT) associated with risk of overall and cause-specific mortality among people with opioid dependence?

Findings  In this systematic review and meta-analysis, risk of all-cause, overdose, suicide, alcohol-related, cancer, and cardiovascular-related mortality was significantly lower for people with opioid dependence during OAT.

Meaning  These findings suggest that increasing access to OAT and retention in treatment are critical for reducing rates of preventable mortality among people with opioid dependence.