Drug addiction at Al - Amal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

The use of illicit substances creates serious and complex problems. Preventing drug abuse would result in significant health improvement and economic savings. 2588 addicts were studied. Patients were interviewed using pre-designed questionnaire and their blood screened for HIV infection. The majority of addicts were aging 20-40 years [84.43%], single [63.25%] and unemployed [66.15%]. Heroin was the most frequently abused drug followed by polydrugs and alcohol. Nearly one half of addicts started drug abuse at age 20-30 years. Teenage drug abuse was found among 36.25% of addicts, abusing mainly volatile substances and polydrugs. Duration of drug abuse was found significantly different among different types of abused drugs. Extramarital sexual relationships were reported by 37.52% of addicts and intravenous drug injection was practiced by 40.34%. The prevalence of HIV infection among addicts was 1.16/1000. A clear understanding of the problem of drug abuse is essential for establishing prevention programs. The low prevalence rate of HIV infection among studied addicts provides a golden opportunity for early application of preventive measures aiming to curb the spread of HIV infection in this community