title: Medical complications of substance abuse.
abstract: Substance abuse is involved in many instances of intentional and unintentional injury. It can also cause medical complications that affect various organ systems--among them, the cardiac, vascular, neurologic, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, immunologic, and reproductive systems. Even though there is pressure to create a new medical specialty to specifically address substance-abuse issues, the truth is that any physician, regardless of specialty, may encounter patients with substance-abuse problems. Alcoholism and drug abuse, with their associated psychosocial and clinical ramifications and complications, cut across all specialty fields. Consequently, all physicians need to be familiar with the spectrum of clinical problems associated with substance abuse and comfortable with addressing these problems prudently and promptly.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002985:Clinical Protocols / Q000592:standards; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control