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Short Communication Volume 13 Issue 3
The pandemic of the new coronavirus and the increase in hospital admissions due to psychoactive substance use in Brazil
Luiz Phillipe Gonzaga Moreira,
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Marina Maria Gonzaga Moreira
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Universidade Tiradentes, Brazil
Correspondence: Luiz Phillipe Silva Azevedo, Universidade Tiradentes, Brazil
Received: May 01, 2023 | Published: May 17, 2023
Citation: Azevedo LPS, Moreira MMG. The pandemic of the new coronavirus and the increase in hospital admissions due to psychoactive substance use in Brazil. J Neurol Stroke. 2023;13(3):50. DOI: 10.15406/jnsk.2023.13.00544
Summary
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its complications in the global context induced measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic and, on 03/23/2020, the World Health Organization recommended social isolation. In addition to fear and uncertainty, the abrupt change in lifestyle habits and changes in the sleep-wake cycle favor the emergence of psychoactive substance use disorders. These substances act on the mesocorticolimbic pathway and influence the reward system, which has the function of increasing the propensity to repeat an activity, increasingly conditioning the use as a form of escape from psychological suffering. In this context, the present study sought to analyze the number of hospitalizations resulting from the use of psychoactive substances in Brazil during the pandemic period.
Introduction
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its complications in the global context induced measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic and, on 03/23/2020, the World Health Organization recommended social isolation. In addition to fear and uncertainty, the abrupt change in lifestyle habits and changes in the sleep-wake cycle favor the emergence of psychoactive substance use disorders. These substances act on the mesocorticolimbic pathway and influence the reward system, which has the function of increasing the propensity to repeat an activity, increasingly conditioning its use as a form of escape from psychological suffering.
Objective
To analyze the number of hospital admissions for psychoactive substances during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare with two previous years.
Methods
This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized for psychoactive substance use from March 2020 to January 2022. For further substantiation, these findings were compared with those of the years 2018 and 2019. The data were obtained by means of the Health Information - TABNET, from the Department of Information Technology of the Unified Health System - DATASUS. In addition, a literature review was conducted in the SciELO, LILACS, and PubMed databases. The terms used in the search were psychoactive substances and/or covid 19 and/or Brazil.1–4
Results
At the time of the pandemic 66,194 cases of hospitalizations for use of psychoactive substances were identified. The South region had the highest number of hospitalizations, with 30,058 cases, followed by the Southeast region with 22,449. The North and Central-West regions had the lowest rates, with 986 and 3,794, respectively. The Northeast region was the third largest region with prevalence of hospitalizations, with 8,907 cases. In 2019, when comparing to the pandemic, the total number of cases was lower by 35.62%, with 42,617 cases in total. In addition, the South region, with 18,429, had the highest prevalence. Furthermore, comparing the year 2018 with the pandemic, the number of hospitalizations was 33.35% lower, with a prevalence of 44,114 this year. The South region remained with the highest rate, with 20,122 cases. In both 2019 and 2018, the region with the lowest prevalence was the North, with 696 and 944 cases, respectively. Both lower values when compared to the time of the pandemic.5–8
Conclusion
An increase in the number of hospitalizations for psychoactive drug use in the pandemic period was therefore evidenced.
Acknowledgments
None.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
- Brazil. Ministry of Health. Datasus. Tabnet: health database.
- Silva LFR, Costa JLF, Ribeiro MCA. Analysis of hospital admissions resulting from the use of psychoactive substances in Brazil. Cadernos de Saúde Pública. 2019;35(7):e00039219.
- James K, Jordan A. Substance-related hospital admissions and associated costs: a national study. Addiction. 2019;114(12):2154–2164.
- Martins SS, Santos MA, Oliveira CD. The burden of substance use disorders on hospital emergency departments: a systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2019;205:107652.
- Bianchi R, Lemos NP, Fernandes VC. Substance use-related hospitalizations among adolescents: a retrospective study in a Brazilian public hospital. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):961.
- González RA, Estevez JF, Pérez MS. Trends in hospital admissions for illicit drug use in Spain (2003-2017). Gaceta Sanitaria. 2020;34(4):343–350.
- O'brien KT, Campbell LA, Williams AR. Substance use-related emergency department visits and subsequent hospital admissions. Journal of Addictive Diseases. 2020;39(1):60–70.
- Singh R, Bhatia SK, Deshmukh SD. Pattern of substance use among patients attending a de-addiction centre in a tertiary care hospital in India. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice. 2020;24(2):144–150.
©2023 Azevedo, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.