title: GHB-involved crimes among intoxicated patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, the involvement of GHB in drug facilitated sexual assaults has been one of the most frequently studied aspects of GHB in both clinical and non-clinical settings. GHB-involved acquisitory crimes, however, can be mentioned as understudied research topics, as well as the poisoning severity properties of GHB.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical reports of Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital Clinic and Casualty Centre's 408 GHB-intoxication cases (352 patients) were reviewed and registered. Analyzed data consisted of epicrisis, serum and urine concentration of various substances (including GHB), scores of Glasgow Coma Scale and Poisoning Severity Score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of the patients were males, in their twenties. GHB was detected in 34.1% and it was solely consumed in 27.7% of all the cases. Ethanol was found to be the most frequently co-ingested substance. A higher rate of severe poisonings was observed among males. We found significant difference in the frequency of enduring sexual assaults and acquisitory crimes between intentional and unintentional GHB intake cases. Among unintentional GHB intake cases, 6.5% endured GHB-involved sexual assaults, whereas 21.7% endured an acquisitory crime. Among recurrent GHB intoxication cases generated by the same patients, voluntary and sole GHB consumptions were more frequently observed, however, enduring any crime was less characteristic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results regarding demographic and substance use characteristics and the frequency of GHB-facilitated sexual assaults are in line with former findings. Enduring acquisitory crimes due to unintentional GHB intake was found to be more inherent than enduring sexual assaults. Authors emphasise that the victims of these acquisitory crimes were typically males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GHB's role in drug facilitated acquisitory crimes seems to be significant, although the decrease in GHB's popularity is observed among intoxicated patients as well. The need for further research on GHB's impact on cognitive impairment and on sexual correlates of intentional GHB use is addressed by the authors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Nyírő Gyula Hospital National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictology, Drug Outpatient and Prevention Centre, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: kapitanymate@vipmail.hu.
authors.forename: Máté
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kapitány-Fövény
authors.affiliation: Military Hospital State Health Centre, Emergency Ward, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zacher
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Posta
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Demetrovics
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012978:Sodium Oxybate / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D012978:Sodium Oxybate
keywords: Acquisitory crime; Gamma-hydroxybutyrate; Sexual assault; Toxicology