HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS ON OPIATE REPLACEMENT THERAPY.   McLaughlin, J1; Synnott, C1; Adams R2; O’Dea, S3; Noone, S4; Keenan, E4; Barry M2; Mulcahy F3; Surah, S3; Lyons, F3   • School of Medicine, Level 1 , Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, 152-160 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. • National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. • The GUIDE clinic (Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases) St James’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. • National Drug Treatment Centre, McCarthy Centre, 30/31 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and contributing factors in individuals receiving opiate replacement therapy. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of patients attending for methadone therapy in an inner city drug treatment centre. EQ-5D, SF-36, SF-6D, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADs) were assessed, along with substance abuse via the Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOPs). Mean values, ranges and standard deviations were calculated and utility scores were derived. Analysis was performed using Spearman’s correlation and t-test to determine any significant correlations. RESULTS: 115 patients were included, 72% were male and the mean age was 35 years. 63% were HCV-PCR positive and 49% admitted to using drugs in the past month. 57% of patients had high levels of anxiety with the mean score being 11.14 (anxious). 35% were depressed with the mean score being 8.40 (borderline depressed). The mean EQ-5D utility score was 0.56 with 7% having a utility score that was worse than death. The mean SF-36 utility score was 0.55. The mean SF-36 physical component score was 44.25 and the mean mental component score was 33.18. CONCLUSIONS: HRQOL was reduced in this opiate replacement therapy cohort. HCV, gender and injecting drug use did not affect HRQOL but anxiety, depression and use of crack cocaine had a significant impact.