Intravenous drug abuse and the accident and emergency department: AIDS (HTLV-III) antibodies and hepatitis B markers.

Background: Viral hepatitis is the most common liver disease in pregnancy and is also the most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy in tropical countries. Risk factors for transmission are intravenous drug abuse, surgical and dental procedures done without adequate sterilization of instruments, sexual route etc. Early diagnosis and management can prevent maternal and fetal complications. This study was done to evaluate the frequency, risk factors and pregnancy outcome in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive antenatal women.Methods: This case control study was conducted in Teerthankar Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India from January 2017 to June 2018 on total 2511 pregnant women. The serum samples were checked for presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and presence of IgG antibodies to HCV. Analysis of sociodemographic profile, risk factors and pregnancy outcome were done in all HBV and HCV positive women.Results: Out of 2511 pregnant women, 292 were tested positive for hepatitis. Maximum number of women were in the age group of 21-30 years. Most of the seropositive women were multipara. Frequency of positivity was maximum for HCV (67.1%). The risk factors for transmission in study population were intravenous drug abuse, blood transfusion, history of surgery and tattooing.Conclusions: Hepatitis infection rate is increasing. Universal screening for HBV and HCV can be recommended in pregnant women in developing countries. Education and awareness of public and health care workers can reduce the risk of transmission.

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Substance Abuse Patient Characteristics: A Scene from an Emergency Department near the Hong Kong – Shenzhen Border

Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1177/102490790100800402 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 196-201

Author(s):

WC Yuen ◽

WF Tang ◽

CH Chung

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Drug Abuse ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Substance Abuse Problem ◽

Drug Abusers ◽

Accident And Emergency ◽

Accident And Emergency Department ◽

Abused Drugs

Objective Drug abuse is an escalating problem in Hong Kong, especially among teenagers and young adults. A study was conducted in order to obtain the characteristics of drug abusers presenting to the Accident & Emergency department of North District Hospital, which is located in the New Territories near the Hong Kong – Shenzhen border. Design Prospective study. Setting Accident and Emergency department of a public general hospital. Patients Drug abusers presenting to the Accident and Emergency department in a six-month period. Main outcome measures Epidemiological data including demographic data, types of drug taken, place of drug abuse and magnitude of cross-border drug abuse were collected and analyzed. Results The sex distribution was male 59 and female 13 (ratio=4.5:1). The mean age was 29.2 (range 14 to 67 years). Of interest, 29.2% abused drugs at home; 29.2% abused drugs in parties such as karaoke, rave and disco; 68% abused drugs in Hong Kong; 32% abused drugs in China and 6.9% claimed themselves first-time drug abusers. The commonest drug taken was ecstasy (40.3%) – the majority (55%) in China and the rest (45%) in Hong Kong. For organic solvent abusers, 57.1% were below 18 years of age. One patient died, resulting in a mortality rate of 1.4%. Conclusion Ecstasy was the commonest drug abused on both sides of the “border”. The majority of substance abusers were teenagers or young adult males. This study confirmed the significant magnitude of psychotropic substance abuse problem among the young population in the North District, indicating the urgent need for clinical and social intervention.

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Intravenous Drug Misusers Presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department of a Large Teaching Hospital a Failure of Clinical Management?

Scottish Medical Journal ◽

10.1177/003693308903400205 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 428-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

M.H. Stone ◽

D.H. Stone ◽

H.A.R. MacGreggor

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Clinical Management ◽

Hiv Transmission ◽

Intravenous Drug ◽

Drug Misuse ◽

Royal Infirmary ◽

Accident And Emergency ◽

Large Teaching Hospital ◽

Accident And Emergency Department

The records of all 77,686 attendances at or via the accident and emergency department of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1986 were examined. Of these, 488 (0.6%) contained evidence of intravenous drug misuse (IDM). Most (68%) of the 354 attenders were male. The mean age of attenders in both sexes was 22 years. Over half of the presenting conditions were ‘surgical’ (mainly abscesses), while ‘psychiatric’ (including explicitly drug-related) conditions comprised about 30%. In almost two-thirds of cases, patients were discharged without specialist follow-up or care. Only 5% were referred for specialist assessment of their drug misuse. About a fifth were admitted. It is argued that these findings appear to represent a serious failure of clinical management requiring an urgent remedy, particularly in the light of the growing problem of HIV transmission in this group.

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