Common Bile Duct (CBD) diameter in opium-addicted men: Comparison with non-addict controls

BACKGROUND Opium and its derivatives are widely abused throughout the world. Recent case reports and a few limited studies have suggested that opiates cause dilation of the common bile duct of the abusers. MATERIAL/METHODS Our case-control study, lasting 7.5 months, investigated 121 male adult addicts and 142 non-addicted controls for biliary tract diameters, using ultrasonography. The study was conducted in Bahonar Hospital in Kerman. Neither the addiction cases nor the non-addict controls revealed any hepatobiliary tract symptoms. The subjects were asked to fill in a questionnaire. After the exclusion of the symptomatic cases, ultrasound examinations were carried out and the findings from questionnaires and US examinations were recorded. RESULTS The mean ±SD diameter of the common bile duct was 4.78±2.58 for addicts and 3.37±2.25 for non-addicts. CBD wall thickness was 1.969±0.61 mm in addicts versus 1.73±0.631 in non-addicts. The differences were statistically significant. According to the multivariate analysis, the duration of opium abuse was a significant factor. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that CBD dilation and increased CBD wall thickness can be expected in people with a prolonged history of opiate addiction.