title: Health status assessment of drug addicts in Alexandria.
abstract: The case-control study was conducted among addicts in Alexandria to determine the different health problems among them, as well as to study the correlation between addiction and these problems. One hundred drug addicts and eighty apparently healthy controls were included in this study. The whole sample was subjected to the following: filling a predesigned questionnaire sheet, clinical and electrocardiogram (ECG) examination, measurements of Body Mass Index (BMI), complete blood picture and antistreptolysin O titre (ASO), testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti HBc), skin scrapings from superficial fungal lesions in addition to complete urine and stool examination. The results revealed that chest rhonchi, hepatomegaly, central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, skin lesions lymphadenopathy, underweight and anaemia were significantly higher among addicts than the controls. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) exposure and HBsAg seropositivity were found 48.0% and 21.0%, respectively among addicts compared to 26.3% and 5.0%, respectively among the controls. The intravenous injections and tattooing were the most risky routes for HBV infection among addicts. A positive correlation was revealed between HBV exposure and both the duration and the number of daily injections. Chest X-ray suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis were found in 7.0% of the addicts. Addiction potentiated the risk of fungal infection among low social class, but it had no effect on the relationship between anaemia and social class nor on that between loss of appetite and underweight.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Health Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University.
authors.forename: I I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Badr
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Farghaly
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Koura
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kotkat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D004534:Egypt; D006304:Health Status; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology