Therapeutic management and comorbid psychiatric disorders among opiate dependent patients in replacement therapy programs: The PROTEUS study

Background. The purpose of this study was to analyze the need for an epidemiological study of opiate-dependent patients aiming to improve the knowledge about their treatment and medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Matherial and methods. Data on clinical management, treatment type, and comorbidities in Spain were examined. There are no comprehensive data, representative of the Spanish patients. Therefore, a national representative sample was selected from opiate-dependent patients ongoing replacement therapy programs, attending care centers for opiatedependent patients. Results. The representative sample included 624 opiate-dependent patients ongoing opiate replacement therapy programs from 74 drug-dependent rehabilitation centers in Spain. Conclusions. Data on therapeutic management and psychiatric and medical comorbidities in opiate-dependent patients are not well known. There is a need for a comprehensive epidemiological study to update the reality of clinical practice of opioiddependent patients in Spain (therapeutic management, comorbidities, etc.) assessing the severity of their addiction, the impact on the type of treatment, the presence of dual pathology and medical implications.