Uso indevido de drogas e função sexual em adolescentes com doenças crônicas

Adverse pharmacokinetic interactions between illicit substances and clinical drugs

Adverse pharmacokinetic interactions between illicit substances and clinical drugs are of a significant health concern. Illicit substances are taken by healthy individuals as well as by patients with medical conditions such as mental illnesses, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, diabetes mellitus and cancer. Many individuals that use illicit substances simultaneously take clinical drugs meant for targeted treatment. This concomitant usage can lead to life-threatening pharmacokinetic interactions between illicit substances and clinical drugs. Optimal levels and activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug-transporters are crucial for metabolism and disposition of illicit substances as well as clinical drugs. However, both illicit substances and clinical drugs can induce changes in the expression and/or activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug-transporters. Consequently, with concomitant usage, illicit substances can adversely influence the therapeutic outcome of coadministered clinical drugs. Likewise, clinical drugs can adversely affect the response of coadministered illicit substances. While the interactions between illicit substances and clinical drugs pose a tremendous health and financial burden, they lack a similar level of attention as drug-drug, food-drug, supplement-drug, herb-drug, disease-drug, or other substance-drug interactions such as alcohol-drug and tobacco-drug interactions. This review highlights the clinical pharmacokinetic interactions between clinical drugs and commonly used illicit substances such as cannabis, cocaine and 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Rigorous efforts are warranted to further understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for these clinical pharmacokinetic interactions. It is also critical to extend the awareness of the life-threatening adverse interactions to both health care professionals and patients.

COMPLEXITY OF PEDIATRIC CHRONIC DISEASE: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WITH 16,237 PATIENTS FOLLOWED BY MULTIPLE MEDICAL SPECIALTIES

Objective:

To assess demographic data and characteristics of children and adolescents with pediatric chronic diseases (PCD), according to the number of specialties/patient.

Methods:

We performed a cross-sectional study with 16,237 PCD patients at outpatient clinics in one year. Data were analyzed by an electronic data system, according to the number of physician appointments for PCD. This study assessed: demographic data, follow-up characteristics, types of medical specialty, diagnosis (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems - ICD-10), number of day hospital clinic visits, and acute complications.

Results:

Patients followed by ≥3 specialties simultaneously showed a significantly higher duration of follow-up compared to those followed by ≤2 specialties [2.1 (0.4-16.4) vs. 1.4 (0.1-16.2) years; p<0.001] and a higher number of appointments in all specialties. The most prevalent medical areas in patients followed by ≥3 specialties were: Psychiatry (Odds Ratio - OR=8.0; confidence interval of 95% - 95%CI 6-10.7; p<0.001), Palliative/Pain Care (OR=7.4; 95%CI 5.7-9.7; p<0.001), Infectious Disease (OR=7.0; 95%CI 6.4-7.8; p<0.001) and Nutrology (OR=6.9; 95%CI 5.6-8.4; p<0.001). Logistic regressions demonstrated that PCD patients followed by ≥3 specialties were associated with high risk for: number of appointments/patient (OR=9.2; 95%CI 8.0-10.5; p<0.001), day hospital clinic visits (OR=4.8; 95%CI 3.8-5.9; p<0.001), emergency department visits (OR=3.2; 95%CI 2.9-3.5; p<0.001), hospitalizations (OR=3.0; 95%CI 2.7-3.3; p<0.001), intensive care admissions (OR=2.5; 95%CI 2.1-3.0; p<0.001), and deaths (OR=2.8; 95%CI 1.9-4.0; p<0.001). The diagnosis of asthma, obesity, chronic pain, and transplant was significantly higher in patients followed by ≥3 specialties.

Conclusions:

The present study showed that PCD patients who required simultaneous care from multiple medical specialties had complex and severe diseases, with specific diagnoses.

Substance Use in Adolescents and Young Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: An Exploratory Cluster Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic illnesses use substances at similar, if not greater, rates compared to healthy peers. The present study aimed to examine rates and patterns of tobacco use, marijuana use, and binge drinking in AYAs with inflammatory bowel diseases. We expected that substance use would be associated with poorer physical health, psychosocial functioning, and disease management.

METHODS

One hundred thirty-two AYAs completed a single set of surveys assessing demographics, disease activity, healthcare utilization, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), inflammatory bowel disease-specific self-efficacy, adherence barriers, disease management skills, and substance use in the last 30 days (eg, tobacco use, marijuana use, binge drinking). Exploratory cluster analyses, followed by chi-square tests and analyses of variance examined patterns of substance use and correlates of cluster membership.

RESULTS

Four patterns emerged from the sample: Global Users (n = 17), Marijuana Users Engaging in Binge Drinking (n = 18), Exclusive Binge Drinkers (n = 21), and Global Abstainers (n = 76). Groups differed by age, gender, disease activity, healthcare utilization, HRQoL, self-efficacy, and adherence barriers with medium and large effect sizes (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Older age, male gender, active disease, at least 1 hospitalization in the past year, low self-efficacy, low HRQoL, and high adherence barriers were significantly more likely for those reporting multisubstance use. In addition, all those reporting both marijuana use and binge drinking also reported tobacco use. Future research ought to examine these associations longitudinally and throughout the transition to adult care.

Pediatric chronic patients at outpatient clinics: a study in a Latin American University Hospital

OBJECTIVE

To describe the characteristics of children and adolescentes with chronic diseases of outpatient clinics at a tertiary university hospital.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed with 16,237 patients with chronic diseases followed-up in one year. The data were collected through the electronic system, according to the number of physician appointments in 23 pediatric specialties. Patients were divided in two groups: children (0-9 years) and adolescents (10-19 years). Early (10-14 years) and late (15-19 years) adolescent groups were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the total sample, 56% were children and 46% were adolescents. The frequencies of following pediatric specialties were significantly higher in adolescents when compared with children: cardiology, endocrinology, hematology, nephrology/renal transplantation, neurology, nutrology, oncology, palliative and pain care, psychiatry, and rheumatology (p<0.05). The frequencies of emergency service visits (30% vs. 17%, p<0.001), hospitalizations (23% vs. 11%, p<0.001), intensive care unit admissions (6% vs. 2%, p<0.001), and deaths (1% vs. 0.6%, p=0.002) were significantly lower in adolescents than in children. However, the number of physician appointments (≥13) per patient was also higher in the adolescent group (5% vs. 6%, p=0.018). Further analysis comparison between early and late adolescents revealed that the first group had significantly more physician appointments (35% vs. 32%, p=0.025), and required more than two pediatric specialties (22% vs. 21%, p=0.047). Likewise, the frequencies of emergency service visits (19% vs. 14%, p<0.001) and hospitalizations (12% vs. 10%, p=0.035) were higher in early adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

This study evaluated a large population in a Latin American hospital and suggested that early adolescents with chronic diseases required many appointments, multiple specialties and hospital admissions.

Systematic Review: Bullying Involvement of Children With and Without Chronic Physical Illness and/or Physical/Sensory Disability-a Meta-Analytic Comparison With Healthy/Nondisabled Peers

Objective

To compare levels of victimization and perpetration associated with bullying among children and adolescents with and without chronic physical illnesses and/or physical or sensory disabilities.

Methods

In total, 107 studies were identified using a systematic search in electronic databases and cross-referencing. A random-effects meta-analysis was computed.

Results

Children and adolescents with chronic physical illness or disability were more likely to be victims of bullying in general (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65), particularly physical bullying (OR = 1.47), relational bullying (OR = 1.47), verbal bullying (OR = 1.67), cyberbullying (OR = 1.39), and illness-specific teasing (OR = 5.29). They were also more likely to be bullies in general (OR = 1.28), as well physical (OR = 1.38) and relational bullies (OR = 1.13). The effect sizes varied across different illnesses and disabilities and, in part, by visibility of the disease, school type, and year of assessment.

Conclusions

Although most between-group differences tend to be small, some form of intervention is needed to reduce bullying among children and adolescents with chronic physical illnesses and/or physical or sensory disabilities, and illness-specific weight- and appearance-related teasing in particular.