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CHARACTERIZATION OF VARIOUS GROUPS OF DRUGS USERS. HIGHLIGHTS ON LEGAL HIGHS USERS

DANIELA-MĂDĂLINA CIUCĂ ANGHEL 1#, ANA-MARIA VLĂSCEANU 1*, GHEORGHE TUDOR 2, ANNE-MARIE CIOBANU 3#, MIRIANA STAN 1, GABRIELA VIORELA NIȚESCU 4#, DIMITRA FLOROU 5, ARISTIDIS M. TSATSAKIS 6, DANIELA LUIZA BACONI 1

1Department of Toxicology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
2Department of Systematic Theology and Sacred Art, Orthodox Theology - Social Work section, The “Justinian Patriarhul” University of Theology, Bucharest, Romania
3Departement of Drug Control, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania 4“Grigore Alexandrescu” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Paediatric Clinic 2, Ward ATI -Toxicology, Bucharest,
Romania
5Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
6Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

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Abstract Our article aimed to assess the differences among various drug users’ groups, especially from haematological, biochemical, urinary and cardiological perspectives. A retrospective study was conducted in collaboration with C.E.T.T.T. “Sfântul Stelian” detoxification centre, in Bucharest, Romania. The medical records of 2572 hospitalized patients, between 2015 and 2021, were analysed. The study group was characterized taking into account demographic data, personal history/comorbidities, history of consumption and substitution treatment. Clinical/paraclinical evaluations were performed. The outcome of the study outlined that GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase) might be correlated with both alcohol intake and the presence of contagious diseases, a decrease of MCH (mean corpuscular haemoglobin) and MCHC (mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) homogeneously characterizes the entire study group, while the occurrence of particular cardiological events might be correlated with certain substances group. Overall, the study provides information on the different types of consumers, but also supports future research on correlating the variable parameters with the possible chemical structures of the consumed compounds detected.