PMID- 28537688
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20180705
LR  - 20191210
IS  - 2284-0729 (Electronic)
IS  - 1128-3602 (Linking)
VI  - 21
IP  - 9
DP  - 2017 May
TI  - Prevalence of alcohol and other drugs in injured drivers and their association 
      with clinical outcomes.
PG  - 2008-2014
LID - 12671 [pii]
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a risk factor for 
      motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). This issue has become an increasing concern for 
      the governments of many European and North American countries, thereby 
      encouraging the adoption of preventive policies. The aim of this study was to 
      investigate the associations between major clinical outcomes and alcohol or drug 
      abuse among drivers involved in MVAs who were referred to an Italian Emergency 
      Department. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of consecutive 
      injured drivers who were admitted to the Emergency Department following an MVA 
      during a period of one year. The patients' blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) 
      and the presence of the most common drugs of abuse [amphetamine, methamphetamine, 
      methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), barbiturates, benzodiazepines, 
      benzoylecgonine (cocaine main metabolite), cannabinoids, methadone, and opiates)] 
      were determined and evaluated in association with major clinical outcomes and 
      demographic data. RESULTS: Overall, 347 injured drivers were enrolled. Of the 347 
      enrolled patients, 164 (47.3%) had a positive BAC (greater than 5 mg/dL). A 
      subgroup of 107 injured drivers was also screened for drugs of abuse. 
      Thirty-seven of these subjects (34.5%) were positive for at least one drug. A 
      statistically significant association was found between BAC and triage at 
      admission (p<0.01), hospitalization (p<0.01), and lesions of internal organs 
      (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that a significant 
      proportion of injured drivers had detectable levels of BAC and/or illegal drugs. 
      Positive BACs were significantly associated with worse clinical outcomes. These 
      findings suggest that the implementation of methods to prevent alcohol and drug 
      abuse is of paramount importance in the effort to reduce the rates of MVAs and 
      their dramatic consequences.
FAU - Cittadini, F
AU  - Cittadini F
AD  - Institute of Public Health, Section of Legal Medicine, Polyclinic Gemelli 
      Foundation, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. 
      francesca.cittadini@unicatt.it.
FAU - De Giovanni, N
AU  - De Giovanni N
FAU - Caradonna, L
AU  - Caradonna L
FAU - Vetrugno, G
AU  - Vetrugno G
FAU - Oliva, A
AU  - Oliva A
FAU - Fucci, N
AU  - Fucci N
FAU - Zuppi, C
AU  - Zuppi C
FAU - Pascali, V L
AU  - Pascali VL
FAU - Covino, M
AU  - Covino M
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Italy
TA  - Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci
JT  - European review for medical and pharmacological sciences
JID - 9717360
RN  - 0 (Illicit Drugs)
SB  - IM
MH  - Accidents, Traffic/*statistics & numerical data
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Aged, 80 and over
MH  - Alcohol Drinking/*epidemiology
MH  - Automobile Driving
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Illicit Drugs
MH  - Italy/epidemiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Prevalence
MH  - Substance-Related Disorders/*epidemiology
MH  - Young Adult
EDAT- 2017/05/26 06:00
MHDA- 2018/07/06 06:00
CRDT- 2017/05/25 06:00
PHST- 2017/05/25 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2017/05/26 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2018/07/06 06:00 [medline]
AID - 12671 [pii]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2017 May;21(9):2008-2014.