IS OPIUM ADDICTION A RISK FACTOR FOR ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION?

There is a misconception among our people that opioids may prevent or have ameliorating effects in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. In this study we evaluated 556 consecutive male patients hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction (MI) in city of Yazd, from May 2000 to October 2001 and compared the characteristics of opium addicts to non opium users. Prevalence of opium addiction in MI patients was 19% in comparison with 2-2.8% in general population. There were not any differences in prevalence of traditional risk factors between opium users and non-users. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 18.6 percent among opium users and 6.2 percent among non-opium users (unadjusted odd ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.7, P = 0.2). After adjustment for the differences in the baseline features (age and other risk factors), odds ratio increased to 2.2 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.9 to 5.1). It seems that opium addiction may work as a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.