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Drugs of Abuse
Drug abuse plays a significant role in emergency medicine cases, either as a primary cause or as a contributing factor. A diagnostic dilemma confronts physicians when patients present with symptoms that could be either drug related or non-drug related. For instance, a patient brought into a hospital emergency department in a coma may be under the influence of narcotics or sedatives, thus requiring a certain type of treatment or intervention. Conversely, the same patient may have had a stroke or suffered some form of trauma requiring a completely different type of care. The ability to obtain a differential diagnosis in a timely manner greatly aids the course of treatment.
Illicit drugs detected by the Triage® Drugs of Abuse Panel and Triage TOX Drug Screen include:
- amphetamines/methamphetamines (ecstasy, speed, crystal)
- cocaine (crack)
- opiates (heroin)
- phencyclidine (angel dust), and
- tetrahydrocannabinol (pot, marijuana)
Prescription drugs tested by the Triage TOX Drug Screen include:
- acetaminophen
- barbiturates (Phenobarbital)
- benzodiazepines (Valium, Librium, Halcion)
- methadone
- propoxyphene (Darvon®)
- tricyclic antidepressants (Elavil, Tofranil)
Drug Abuse Statistics
Despite advances in medical, social, and economic sciences, substance (alcohol and drug) abuse continues to be a significant problem in the United States and other countries worldwide. As the following U.S. statistics show, drug abuse—both legal and illegal—occurs in groups of all ages, both genders and among all levels of socio-economic groups.
- In 2004, 1.3 million out of the nearly 2 million emergency department (ED) visits in the US were related to alcohol or drug abuse.1 Illicit drug use leads to 17,000 deaths each year.2
- The annual cost of care for these patients is $10.5 billion.
- 200,000 women are intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs), and 90 percent of these women are of child-bearing age.
- Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, an estimated 4.6 percent reported using illicit drugs.3
Improper use of drugs is also increasing especially in the elderly population, as shown by the following:
- In 1979, only 10 percent of drug abusers were over the age of 35; by 1993, the percentage had increased to 28 percent.
- Elderly women use or abuse tranquilizers or sedatives more frequently than any other group of people.
- 25 percent of the elderly population take drugs for multiple psychotherapeutic reasons including such problems as clinical depression, pain relief and sleep assistance.
References
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