High mortality among non-HIV-infected people who inject drugs in Bangkok, Thailand, 2005-2012

Objectives. We examined the causes of hospitalization and death of people who inject drugs participating in the Bangkok Tenofovir Study, an HIV preexposure prophylaxis trial.Methods. The Bangkok Tenofovir Study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted during 2005 to 2012 among 2413 people who inject drugs. We reviewed medical records to define the causes of hospitalization and death, examined participant characteristics and risk behaviors to determine predictors of death, and compared the participant mortality rate with the rate of the general population of Bangkok, Thailand.Results. Participants were followed an average of 4 years; 107 died: 22 (20.6%) from overdose, 13 (12.2%) from traffic accidents, and 12 (11.2%) from sepsis. In multivariable analysis, older age (40–59 years; P = .001), injecting drugs (P = .03), and injecting midazolam (P < .001) were associated with death. The standardized mortality ratio was 2.9.Conclusions. People who injected drugs were nearly 3 times as...