title: Admissions of drug addicts to a general hospital: a retrospective study in the northern district of Glasgow.
abstract: Medical and surgical admissions of drug addicts to Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow in the period 1980-1984 were reviewed. Admission numbers, which totalled 123, rose markedly over the period of the study, particularly in the final year. The mean age of addicts was 21 years. Ninety-two per cent abused heroin but many abused combinations of drugs. Inadvertent narcotic overdosage was the commonest diagnosis amongst medical admissions followed by deep venous thrombosis. A small number of cases of staphylococcal endocarditis presented particular problems in diagnosis and management. The commonest reason for surgical admission was abscess formation. Whilst 85% of addicts showed markers of past infection with hepatitis B, chronic carriage of surface antigen occurred in only 10%. Few addicts had withdrawal symptoms although the practice of narcotic and/or tranquilliser prescribing varied. Many admissions were of short duration with 36% ending in patients taking their own discharge. Only 16% of addicts were notified to the Home Office.
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005734:Gangrene / Q000209:etiology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000628:therapy; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted