Somatic Morbidity in Opioid Maintenance Treatment Patients: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Introduction: Somatic diseases represent a significant burden for opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) patients. This study described somatic morbidity in two national cohorts of OMT patients overall and by gender and age groups.Methods: This population-based cohort study linking multiple health registers investigated somatic diseases (ICD-10) in patients receiving OMT in the Czech Republic (N = 4,280) and Norway (N = 11,389) during 2010–2019.Results: Injuries/external causes and infectious/parasitic were among the most common somatic disease. Women had a significantly higher prevalence in most somatic diseases, notably genitourinary diseases and neoplasms. The age group over 35 had higher rates of somatic diseases in Norway, while in the Czech Republic, both age groups were similarly burdened. Cardiovascular diseases showed a significant increase in the older age group in both cohorts.Conclusions: Our findings support the need for early screening, detection, and treatment of diseases and conditions across organ systems and the integration of health promotion activities to reduce somatic morbidity in OMT patients.