4. Results and Discussion

Subjects of the study were young heroin addicts, of which 47 were male patients (58%) aged on average 20.5 (17 - 27) years and 34 females, average age 20.9 (18 √ 24) years. Sex ratio, 138. Distribution of patients in age groups is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Distribution of patients in age groups

Fourteen patients (17%) were students, 21 (26%) were on a long leave for pregnancy or other legal indications, 16 (20%) were employees (some of them were also students), and 30 (37%) patients neither worked nor studied anywhere. As to the family status, 46 (57%) lived with their parents or in families of their relatives and 35 patients (43%) lived alone. At the time of observation, 29 (36%) addicts lived in full families, 4 (5%) had no parents, parents of 48 patients (59%) were divorced; of the latter patients, 19 (23% of the total number of patients) lived with their mothers, 3 (4%) patients had only father, 20 (25%) patients lived with their mothers who married second time, and 6 patients (7%) lived with their fathers and step mothers.

Most patients (n = 62; 76%) were single: these were 25 females, i.e., 73% (34 = 100%) and 37 male patients, i.e. 79% (47 = 100%). Divorced were 5 females, i.e., 15% (34 = 100%) and 7 male patients, i.e., also 15% (47 = 100%); 4 (12%) females and 3 (6%) male patients were married by common law.

Twenty-eight addicted individuals (34% of the total number of patients) had no sexual partner within three months preceding their attendance to the doctor. Of this number, 7 were females, i.e., 20% (34 = 100%) and 21 were male patients, i.e., 45% (47 = 100%). Twelve (35%) females and 9 (19%) males had occasional intercourse with pickup partners. Eleven (32%) females and 14 (30%) males had permanent partners; 4 (12%) females had their husbands as a permanent sexual partner and 3 male patients (6%) had their wives as permanent partners. Six married couples had one child each, and 4 women had illegitimate children. The children were 6 boys and 4 girls. The reproduction level in the studied group was 12% (the number of children expressed in percent of the total number of patients).

Twelve (15%) patients were AIDS-infected; hepatitis C virus was found in 68 (84%) patients, and 5 (6%) patients had the virus of both hepatitis B and C.

Involvement into heroin addiction differed as regards sex: young males began using heroin in a group of adolescents, one of which had a long history of addiction. These were 32 cases which made 68% (47 = 100%). Girls were given the first dose of heroin by addicts to whom they felt platonic affection, or with whom they had erotic and sexual relations. These were 27 girls, i.e. 79% (34 = 100%).

As regards the rhythm of sexual activity and its relation to intensity of heroin use in male patients, we observed the following phenomenon (Fig. 2): sexual activity decreased with increasing intensity of heroin use. If the woman did not use drugs, sexual partnership usually broke during this period.