The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of acute
poisoning with psychoactive substances in adult abusers of Kraków population in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and to compare the number of poisoned patients suffering withdrawal syndrome as predominant. 27.2% (n = 945) of all 3472 acute
poisonings treated in the Department of Clinical Toxicology in 1997, 36.9% (n = 1193) of all 3236 treated in 1998 and 47.9% (n = 1546) of all 3233 treated cases that were acute
poisoning with psychoactive substances among the abusers of Kraków adult population.
Ethanol followed by
narcotics in 1998, and by drugs coingested with
ethanol and by
narcotics in 1997 and 1999 was predominant
psychoactive agent in all the analysed years. Organic
solvents and
glue sniffing and
drug dependency increased again in 1999.
Opiate derivatives produced at home from poppy straw or juice of poppy head were still the most common
narcotic detected in body fluids, but decrease in number of acute
opiates poisoning was noted in 1999 as compared to previous analysed years. The most of
ethanol abusers aged from 30-49 years. The highest incidence of
narcotic and
drug dependency was noted in age between 20-29 years.