[Emergencies in patients attender in a drug abuse treatment center].
OBJECTIVE
To find out the type of emergency consultations made by users at a substance abuse treatment center (SATC).


METHODS
Prospective study of emergency consultations made during six months by patients controlled at a SATC.


RESULTS
333 patients were followed up; 27 (8%) of them consulted and 9 (33%) were found to have an HIV infection. Heroin addicts consulted more times and repeated visits more commonly than cocaine addicts (p < 0.04 and 0.03). Patients enrolled in the methadone maintenance programme consulted less commonly than patients included in other programmes (p < 0.01). 35% of visited patients did not need treatment and 75% were discharged.


CONCLUSIONS
We have detected two different types of consultations: those owing to a psychiatric/drug disorder in patients followed-up for less than 1 year, which are resolved after just one visit, without need of hospitalization; and those consultations caused by medical disorders, frequently related to HIV, which are generated by patients submitted to longer follow-up periods; these patients use to repeat the consultations and are commonly admitted.
Pedrol
Enric
E
Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas-VIH. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital General de Granollers. Barcelona. Spain. minterna@fhagranollers.com
Alvarez
María Teresa
MT
Deig
Elisabet
E
Andrés
Inés
I
Ribell
Mónica
M
Soler
Anna
A
D000328:Adult; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology