title: [Emergencies in patients attender in a drug abuse treatment center].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas-VIH. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital General de Granollers. Barcelona. Spain. minterna@fhagranollers.com
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pedrol
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deig
authors.forename: Inés
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Andrés
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ribell
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soler
mesh_terms: 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