Three-year follow-up study of heroin users in Bratislava

The principal goal of the present study was to find out the prospects of patients who enter a treatment facility due to their opioid dependence in the specific socioeconomic conditions of a transforming Central European country. The prospective follow-up study of a cohort of 351 patients, 76% males and 24% females, with an average age of 21.5 years (SD 4.8 years) was evaluated 1 and 3 years after the patients were taken into treatment. The treatment intake was performed in a specialized comprehensive treatment facility in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. One and 3 years later, 79 and 70% of the patients, respectively, were contacted. The results show that after 3 years, 30% of patients (106) had been fully abstinent from all opioids for at least 6 months, 6% (19) had been abstinent less than 6 months, 10% (35) were on substitution treatment and 25% (86) were regular heroin users at that time. A significantly better outcome after 3 years was observed among those subjects who were at work or at school at the time of admission. Despite different socioeconomic conditions, the results demonstrate that findings concerning the outcome of opiate users undergoing treatment are consistent with those from other parts of the world.