R. Macovei*, C. Pandrea**, B. Opriță**, Rodica Ciolacu**, C. Moșteanu**
*Dr. R. Macovei – șeful Secției de Toxicologie Clinică, Spitalul Clinic de Urgență București
**Dr. C. Pandrea, Dr. B. Opriță, Dr. Rodica Ciolacu – medici specialiști de Medicină de Urgență, Dr. C. Moșteanu – medic stagiar, Spitalul Clinic de Urgență București
Abstract
Medico-social implications of drugs abuse
The purpose of this study is to call the attention of the medical comunity and of the society on a subject with implications which outruns the medical field, affecting more and more the social life: the drug abuse.Using the experience of the Toxicology Clinic and of the Emergency Medicine staff in the Emergency Hospital Bucharest, we studied the data of the drug addicts who apperled to the Emergency Department from January the 1st 2000 to March the 31st 2000, considering the following criteria:
- epidemiology: number of cases (comparatively to the same period of the year before), sex, age groups, etc.
- the type fo drugs and the way of administration
- lapse of the time from the first dose
- the social environment of the patient
- the clinical situation: overdose, withdrawal
- the clinical findings in the Emergency Department
- the therapeutic guidelines
- the medical and social evolution after discharge
The significantly increased number of patients (compared to the same period in 1999), the low age (most of the patients are between 15 – 30 years old), the predominance of the males, the predominance of unemployed and delinquents, the very severe clinical status (respiratory and sometimes even cardiac arrest), the very high costs of the hospitalization and the fact that most of the patients return “on the street” are all good reasons to support the educational programs for drug abuse prevention especially in young people and for opening specific centers for the treatment of drug addiction and for the social integration of the drug addicts.