Background: Acute use of methamphetamine affects the sympathetic system and causes symptoms like tachycardia, hypertension (HTN), tachypnea, peripheral blood vessels constriction, hyperthermia, and mydriasis that can lead to many medical complications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the use of methamphetamine, clinical symptoms, and admission causes in patients referred to emergency ward of Imam Khomeini
General Hospital in Sari, Iran. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, ۳۲۶۳ patients were enrolled in the census. The population was patients referred to emergency ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, in ۲۰۱۷. Clinical signs and symptoms, test results, primary and definite diagnosis, and patients' status during discharge or referral were extracted from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Findings: A total of ۳۲۶۳ people were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of positive methamphetamine test in patients referred to the emergency department was ۱.۲%, which was significantly higher in men (P = ۰.۰۱۷). The mean age was ۳۹.۹ ± ۱۷.۲ years.
Methamphetamine users were more likely to be traumatized than the general population. There was a statistically significant difference in seizure (P = ۰.۰۰۳), chest pain (P < ۰.۰۰۱), tachycardia (P < ۰.۰۰۱), palpitation (P < ۰.۰۰۱), HTN (P = ۰.۰۰۲), tachypnea (P = ۰.۰۰۱), visual hallucinations (P = ۰.۰۰۱), auditory hallucinations (P = ۰.۰۰۱), paranoia (P = ۰.۰۰۱), grandiosity (P = ۰.۰۳۵), talkativeness (P = ۰.۰۰۱), suicidal ideation (P < ۰.۰۰۱), homicidal ideation (P = ۰.۰۰۱), violence (P < ۰.۰۰۱), and disorientation (P < ۰.۰۰۱) in positive methamphetamine test group. Conclusion:
Methamphetamine use is more frequent in young men in the second and third decades of life. The most common clinical symptoms in these patients were HTN, chest pain, palpitations, tachycardia, seizure, aggression, anxiety, delusions, and hallucinations
