Abstract
Introductionaccording to the latest World Drug Report, 271 million people worldwide (5.5% of the global population) aged 15-64 years are drug users. Drug addiction and trafficking became an urgent public health problem that affects human health and social life. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2016 to December 2018, to identify the socio-demographic profile of drug users captured by the anti-narcotics squad in North of Tunisia (North African country) and to type, through toxicological analysis, the nature of the substances consumed.Methodsdata were collected from expertise files of 11170 suspected drug users. Fresh urine samples were collected from suspected drugs users and submitted in the toxicology laboratory of the center for Urgent Medical Assistance (Tunis) for forensic urinalysis. Drugs screening was carried out by immunochemical methods. Positive samples were analyzed with gas chromatography coupled to mass selective detector (GC-MS) for confirmation.Resultsthe investigation revealed that drug users were mainly males 97.4% (sex ratio 37), the median age was 29 ± 7.91 years, 91.3% were singles and 79% were daily workers. On a total of 11170 urine samples screened, 5 409 (48.4%) were positives for illicit drugs. The prevalence of positive samples was 55.4% in 2016; 50.45% in 2017 and 40.8% in 2018. Cannabis was the most widely consumed drug (95%), followed by Benzodiazepines (1.2%), Buprenorphine (1%), cocaine (0.95%), MDMA (0.24%) and opiates (0.13%). Polydrug abuse was observed in 79 specimens (1.5%).Conclusionthis study provides an overview of the illicit drug consumption in the north of Tunisia (knowing that nowadays epidemiological data are almost same since 2016) in order to set up an effective policy to fight against drugs and addictive behaviors and to provide health professionals with the epidemiological elements necessary for better medical care of drug users.
Highlights
Drug use became an urgent public health problem that affects human health, social life and economy worldwide
Conclusion: this study provides an overview of the illicit drug consumption in the north of Tunisia in order to set up an effective policy to fight against drugs and addictive behaviors and to provide health professionals with the epidemiological elements necessary for better medical care of drug users
An epidemiologic study conducted on a total of 28 298 cases in Tunisia from 2010 to 2015, stated that cannabis was the most widely consumed illicit drug among young adults followed by benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, cocaine and MDMA (Ecstasy) [4]
Summary
Drug use became an urgent public health problem that affects human health, social life and economy worldwide. According to the Mediterranean School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (MedSPAD II) conducted in Tunisia in 2017 [5]; tobacco, alcohol and cannabis are the substances which secondary school students use most frequently. The frequency of consumption was (25.1%) for tobacco, (6.3%) for alcohol, (3.8%) for cannabis, (3.8%) for glue, (3%) for psychotropic drugs, (1.4%) for Ecstasy and under (1.0%) for cocaine and Buprenorphine. These frequencies have increased substantially compared to the first MedSPAD survey conducted in 2013 [2], whereas these frequencies still less than those noted in other Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Lebanon and Morocco) [5]. An epidemiologic investigation was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of drug abuse in 11170 suspected drug users by analyzing urine samples collected from January 2016 to December 2018
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
