Use of alcohol and illicit drugs by trauma patients in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol and illicit drugs impair cognitive and psychomotor skills and may thereby increase the risk of involvement in a road traffic crash and other types of injuries. However, the knowledge on the use of psychoactive substances among injured patients presenting to emergency departments in low and middle-income countries remains limited.

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use among patients with traumatic injuries admitted to an emergency department in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: Blood samples from injured patients requiring hospitalization for more than 24 h due to road traffic crashes, falls, or violence, were collected from July 2018 to June 2019. The samples were analyzed for alcohol and illicit drugs.

Results: A total of 376 patients were included in this study; the median age was 36 years and 80% of patients were male. The majority (56%) of injuries resulted from road traffic crashes, with approximately half of them being motorcyclists. Alcohol, drugs, or both were detected in 32% of samples. The proportion that tested positive was highest for males (35%), for the age group 18-39 years (41%), for singles (43%), and for patients injured at nighttime (44%). Patients injured due to violence had the highest prevalence of alcohol or drugs in their blood samples (44%). Alcohol was most prevalent (23%), followed by cocaine (12%) and cannabis (5%).

Conclusion: The use of alcohol and illicit drugs was common among injured patients in Sao Paulo; it was likely a contributing factor in a third of the injurious accidents. Alcohol was the most prevalent substance followed by cocaine and cannabis.

Keywords: Alcohol use; Emergency departments; Injury; Psychoactive substances; Road traffic crashes.