Addiction Rehab: A Comparison of Medical and Psychobehavioral Emergency Department Visits Made by Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.
A comparison of medical and psychobehavioral emergency department visits made by adults with intellectual disabilities.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Emerg Med Int. 2012; 2012: 427407
Lunsky Y, Balogh R, Khodaverdian A, Elliott D, Jaskulski C, Morris S
Study Objective. We describe and contrast medical to psychobehavioral emergency visits made by a cohort of adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods. This was a study of 221 patients with intellectual disabilities who visited the emergency department because of a psychobehavioral or medical emergency. Patient profiles are described and logistic regression was used to assess predictors of psychobehavioral emergencies in this group, including age, residence, psychiatric diagnosis, cognitive level, and life events. Results. Ninety-eight individuals had medical emergencies and 123 individuals presented with psychobehavioral emergencies. The most common medical issue was injury and the most common psychobehavioral issue was aggression. In the multivariate analysis, life events (odds ratio (OR) 0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10 to 0.75), psychiatric diagnosis (OR 2.35; 95% CI 1.12 to 4.95), and age group (OR 4.97; 95% CI 1.28 to 19.38) were associated with psychobehavioral emergencies. Psychobehavioral emergencies were more likely to result in admission and caregivers reported lower rates of satisfaction with these visits. Conclusion. Emergency departments would benefit from greater understanding of the different types of presentations made by adults with intellectual disabilities, given the unique presentations and outcomes associated with them.
HubMed – addiction
Unhealthy Alcohol Use, HIV Infection and Risk of Liver Fibrosis in Drug Users with Hepatitis C.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
PLoS One. 2012; 7(10): e46810
Muga R, Sanvisens A, Fuster D, Tor J, Martínez E, Pérez-Hoyos S, Muñoz A
To analyze alcohol use, clinical data and laboratory parameters that may affect FIB-4, an index for measuring liver fibrosis, in HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected drug users.Patients admitted for substance abuse treatment between 1994 and 2006 were studied. Socio-demographic data, alcohol and drug use characteristics and clinical variables were obtained through hospital records. Blood samples for biochemistry, liver function tests, CD4 cell count, and serology of HIV and HCV infection were collected at admission. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the predictors of FIB-4 increase.A total of 472 (83% M, 17% F) patients were eligible. The median age at admission was 31 years (Interquartile range (IQR) 27-35 years), and the median duration of drug use was 10 years (IQR 5.5-15 years). Unhealthy drinking (>50 grams/day) was reported in 32% of the patients. The FIB-4 scores were significantly greater in the HCV/HIV-coinfected patients (1.14, IQR 0.76-1.87) than in the HCV-monoinfected patients (0.75, IQR 0.56-1.11) (p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, unhealthy drinking (p?=?0.034), lower total cholesterol (p?=?0.042), serum albumin (p<0.001), higher GGT (p<0.001) and a longer duration of addiction (p?=?0.005) were independently associated with higher FIB-4 scores in the HCV-monoinfected drug users. The effect of unhealthy drinking on FIB-4 scores disappeared in the HCV/HIV-coinfected patients, whereas lower serum albumin (p<0.001), a lower CD4 cell count (p?=?0.006), higher total bilirubin (p<0.001) and a longer drug addiction duration (p<0.001) were significantly associated with higher FIB-4 values.Unhealthy alcohol use in the HCV-monoinfected patients and HIV-related immunodeficiency in the HCV/HIV-coinfected patients are important risk factors associated with liver fibrosis in the respective populations. HubMed – addiction
Organization of GABAergic synaptic circuits in the rat ventral tegmental area.
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
PLoS One. 2012; 7(10): e46250
Ciccarelli A, Calza A, Panzanelli P, Concas A, Giustetto M, Sassoè-Pognetto M
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is widely implicated in drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders. This brain region is densely populated by dopaminergic (DA) neurons and also contains a sparse population of ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic cells that regulate the activity of the principal neurons. Therefore, an in-depth knowledge of the organization of VTA GABAergic circuits and of the plasticity induced by drug consumption is essential for understanding the mechanisms by which drugs induce stable changes in brain reward circuits. Using immunohistochemistry, we provide a detailed description of the localization of major GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor subunits in the rat VTA. We show that DA and GABAergic cells express both GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors. However VTA neurons differ considerably in the expression of GABA(A) receptor subunits, as the ?1 subunit is associated predominantly with non-DA cells, whereas the ?3 subunit is present at low levels in both types of VTA neurons. Using an unbiased stereological method, we then demonstrate that ?1-positive elements represent only a fraction of non-DA neurons and that the ratio of DA and non-DA cells is quite variable throughout the rostro-caudal extent of the VTA. Interestingly, DA and non-DA cells receive a similar density of perisomatic synapses, whereas axo-dendritic synapses are significantly more abundant in non-DA cells, indicating that local interneurons receive prominent GABAergic inhibition. These findings reveal a differential expression of GABA receptor subtypes in the two major categories of VTA neurons and provide an anatomical basis for interpreting the plasticity of inhibitory circuits induced by drug exposure.
HubMed – addiction
[About epidemiology of suicidal behavior: An investigation in the health-service district of Brixen].
Filed under: Addiction Rehab
Neuropsychiatr. 2012; 26(3): 121-8
Tschiesner R, Schweigkofler H, Favaretto E, Prossliner J, Lun S, Schwitzer J
Aim of this investigation is to find out how many parasuicids as well as suicides are commited and which epidemiological characteristics (sex, age, substance addictions, relationships, job, life-events and suicide attempts in past) show people who commit suicide, and people who commiting parasuicide. After that we try to find variables predicting a suicide or variables what show a vulnerability to commit suicide.Clinicans assess patients who commit parasuicide by the WHO-Parasuicide-Monitoring-Questionnaire and suicide victims by interview with the bereaved. Afterwards, data are assimilated and aggregated.In this period a mean of 37 (SD?=?7.78) parasuicides and 6.32 (SD?=?3.79) suicides happened yearly. The sample shows different characteristics in age, sex, life-events in the run-up to the action, job situation and parasuicide(s) in past. No differences were found between relationship and substance abuse/addiction and regarding both types of suicidal behavior.The incidence concerning suicide is slightly lower; the incidence with regard to parasuicide is lower than in other samples. Demographic variables show that people commiting suicide differ from those who commit parasuicide.
HubMed – addiction
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