Abstract
Background: The growing number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), also labelled as “legal highs”, constitutes a challenge to public health. It is uncertain whether this trend is related to the increase in number of poising cases reported by emergency rooms. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of NPS in acute cases of poisoning in the Swedish county Värmland. The numbers of NPS casualties were correlated with poisoning by other substances. Both, the gender and age distribution of the reported cases were recorded. Method: Records classified as poisoning casualties at the emergency rooms in Värmland during 2007- 2013 were collected and analyzed. Results: NPS and illicit drugs constituted only a small part (1.67% and 7.84% respectively) of the total poisoning casualties. The results also revealed that alcohol and pharmaceuticals were present in the majority of cases (91.2%), and were to a larger extent involved in polydrug abuse and suicide attempts. Furthermore, the results uncovered an alarming poisoning problem among women who had taken pharmaceuticals and for suicidal young people. Conclusions: It is unclear whether the comparatively low prevalence of NPS and illicit drug related poisoning casualties reflect the real prevalence of injury cases or a possible under-reporting. Background: The growing number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), also labelled as “legal highs”, constitutes a challenge to public health. It is uncertain whether this trend is related to the increase in number of poising cases reported by emergency rooms. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of NPS in acute cases of poisoning in the Swedish county Värmland. The numbers of NPS casualties were correlated with poisoning by other substances. Both, the gender and age distribution of the reported cases were recorded. Method: Records classified as poisoning casualties at the emergency rooms in Värmland during 2007- 2013 were collected and analyzed. Results: NPS and illicit drugs constituted only a small part (1.67% and 7.84% respectively) of the total poisoning casualties. The results also revealed that alcohol and pharmaceuticals were present in the majority of cases (91.2%), and were to a larger extent involved in polydrug abuse and suicide attempts. Furthermore, the results uncovered an alarming poisoning problem among women who had taken pharmaceuticals and for suicidal young people. Conclusions: It is unclear whether the comparatively low prevalence of NPS and illicit drug related poisoning casualties reflect the real prevalence of injury cases or a possible under-reporting.
Highlights
Poisoning, including severe side effects of drug use, is a growing and serious health concern in Sweden and elsewhere [1]
The results uncovered an alarming poisoning problem among women who had taken pharmaceuticals and for suicidal young people. It is unclear whether the comparatively low prevalence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and illicit drug related poisoning casualties reflect the real prevalence of injury cases or a possible under-reporting
In Sweden, various authorities and organizations unanimously reported on the increasing availability of NPS [4,5,6], as do the media and the scientific literature in headlines referring to poisoning cases from e.g. synthetic cannabinoids (”Spice”) [7]
Summary
Poisoning, including severe side effects of drug use, is a growing and serious health concern in Sweden and elsewhere [1]. There is no comprehensive national statistics on the occurrence of various drug casualties, which is aggravated by the emergence of a great number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), often called ”legal highs”, with the most part unknown effects and risks [2]. The accelerating development on the market for drugs is confirmed by public statistics, showing that the number of NPS is increasing every year. The growing number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), labelled as “legal highs”, constitutes a challenge to public health. It is uncertain whether this trend is related to the increase in number of poising cases reported by emergency rooms. The gender and age distribution of the reported cases were recorded
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