Dosage of pharmacologic medication and length of follow-up did not affect changes in domain scores .
WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain scoring is a useful tool in measuring overall quality of life and levels of addiction among OST participants .
BACKGROUND Opioid substitution treatment ( OST ) can increase quality of life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) and reduce addiction severity index ( ASI ) scores among participants over time .
OST program participants have noted that improvement in quality of life is one of the most important variables to their reduction in drug use .
However , there is little systematic underst and ing of WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain changes among OST participants in low and middle-income countries ( LMIC ) .
Improved Quality of Life for Opioid-Dependent Patients Receiving Buprenorphine Treatment in HIV Clinics
Background : Opioid dependence and HIV infection are associated with poor health-related quality of life ( HRQOL ) .  Buprenorphine/naloxone ( bup/nx ) provided in HIV care setting s may improve HRQOL . Methods : We surveyed 289 HIV-infected opioid-dependent persons treated with clinic-based bup/nx about HRQOL  using the Short Form Health Survey ( SF-12 ) administered at baseline , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 months . We used normalized SF-12 scores , which correspond to a mean HRQOL of 50 for the general US population ( SD 10 , possible range 0 - 100 ) . We compared mean normalized mental and physical composite and component scores in quarters 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 with baseline scores using generalized estimating equation models . We assessed the effect of clinic-based bup/nx prescription on HRQOL composite scores using mixed effects regression with site as r and om effect and time as repeated effect . Results : Baseline normalized SF-12 scores were lower than the general US population for all HRQOL domains . Average composite mental HRQOL improved from 38.3 ( SE 12.5 ) to 43.4 ( SE 13.2 ) [ β 1.13 ( 95 % CI : 0.72 to 1.54 ) ] and composite physical HRQOL remained unchanged [ β 0.21 ( 95 % CI : −0.16 to 0.57 ) ] over 12 months follow-up . Continued bup/nx treatment across all 4 quarters was associated with improvements in both physical [ β 2.38 ( 95 % CI : 0.63 to 4.12 ) ] and mental [ β 2.51 ( 95 % CI : 0.42 to 4.60 ) ] HRQOL after adjusting for other contributors to HRQOL . Conclusions : Clinic-based bup/nx maintenance therapy is potentially effective in ameliorating some of the adverse effects of opioid dependence on HRQOL for HIV-infected population
Dosage of pharmacologic medication and length of follow-up did not affect changes in domain scores .
WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain scoring is a useful tool in measuring overall quality of life and levels of addiction among OST participants .
BACKGROUND Opioid substitution treatment ( OST ) can increase quality of life ( WHOQOL-BREF ) and reduce addiction severity index ( ASI ) scores among participants over time .
OST program participants have noted that improvement in quality of life is one of the most important variables to their reduction in drug use .
However , there is little systematic underst and ing of WHOQOL-BREF and ASI domain changes among OST participants in low and middle-income countries ( LMIC ) .