From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-369244-861512
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- Fourteen percent of patients admitted to the
hospital have alcohol, drug abuse and addiction disorders, U.S.
researchers said.
Patricia B. Santora and Heidi E. Hutton of The Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine in Baltimore analyzed 43,000 patients
with alcohol/drug abuse and addiction disorders -- mainly in addition
to other medical diagnoses -- who were admitted to Johns Hopkins
Hospital from 1994 to 2002.
About one-half of the patients used a combination of two or more
drugs, one-fourth used alcohol only, and the rest used opioids such as
heroin or cocaine only. The number of opioid abusers rose sharply
during the period studied, reflecting the recent resurgence of heroin
in Baltimore.
Patients on Medicaid/Medicare and uninsured patients were more likely
to have drug addictions, while patients with private insurance were
more likely to abuse alcohol only, the researchers said.
However, the study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse
Treatment, said about 1 percent of patients had an alcohol/drug abuse
and addiction disorders as their only diagnosis -- the remaining 99
percent had other medical problems as well.
The researchers said healthcare providers should screen for alcohol
and drug abuse and provide intervention because it increases the
likelihood that patients will not follow their prescribed care.