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99% of drug users seeking detox are males in Oman, says study

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Muscat, Feb 2 - Males account for 99 per cent of patients seeking rehabilitation for drug abuse, or cessation therapy, in the Sultanate and they are below 30 years of age, according to a study.
According to Dr Nabila al Wahaibi, the principal author of the study, “Peer influences on the initiation of substance use were significant.
Most patients had a history of polysubstance use, including intravenous substance use.”
Cannabis and alcohol were the first substances consumed by most patients, she said.
The study, titled, ‘The characteristics and patterns of utilisation of healthcare services among Omanis with substance use disorders attending therapy for cessation’, was conducted by researchers from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Ministry of Health.
The objective of the study, published in the Public Library of Science, was to identify the characteristics of Omanis with substance use disorder and expand the literature surrounding substance use and those who seek treatment, as there is little information about this population.
It explored socio-demographic factors, factors related to the initiation of substance use, types of substances used, co-morbid health and psychiatric conditions, healthcare utilisation and hurdles to accessing healthcare among people that use psychoactive substances in a substance use disorder treatment facility in Oman.
The study was conducted in a tertiary care centre (Al Masarra Hospital) which is specialised in the treatment of those engaging in substance use. The research team comprised Nabila al Wahaibi, Anwaar al Lawati, Falaah al Ruqeishy, Abdulla al Khatri, Yahya al Farsi, Tahira M A Juma, Fatma al Hinai, Nasser al Sibani, Sangeetha Mahadevan and Samir al Adawi.
A six-part questionnaire was designed to obtain information regarding socio-demographic background, clinical history, healthcare utilization and perceived hurdles to access.
Dr Anwaar al Lawati, one of the authors, said men below 30 years were more prone to succumb to drug addiction. She added that in this study, most patients engaged in polysubstance use.
Dr Nasser Sibani, senior consultant, Department of Behavioral Medicine, SQU, said, “The study clearly indicates that people who have abused cannabis and benzodiazepines have better outcomes compared than those abusing heroin.”
Intravenous psychoactive substance use has been reported in many parts of the world and appears in different contexts in the region as well.
Data from the World Health Organization mentions the prevalence of substance use in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Oman, to be 3,500/100,000 and the prevalence of intravenous substance use disorders at 172/100,000 people.
According to the 2017 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the prevalence of injecting psychoactive substances has been estimated at 0.2 per cent of the population in the region defined as ‘Near and the Middle East,’ which includes Oman.
In the present study, approximately 67 per cent of participants admitted to having used intravenous substances.
The most consumed substances were opioids (including heroin), cannabis and alcohol.
Accessibility defines the type of controlled substances that are more likely to be used.
Oman lies close to the opioid and cannabis-producing ‘Golden Crescent’ region of Central Asia. Alcohol availability has increased with the influx of expatriate contract workers who constitute 45 per cent of the total population, a majority of whom are young, single men.
The growth of tourism industry has also contributed to easy availability of alcohol. Dr Nasser al Sibani noted, “Alcohol is apparently more harmful than heroin, but it is widely used as a source to generate revenue.”
Substance use has been known to compromise several health parameters, which are likely to worsen if administered intravenously.
As per 2007 data from WHO’s Oman Atlas of Substance Use Disorders, among the 384 Omanis found to have injected themselves with psychoactive substances, 6.5 per cent had HIV/Aids, 42.5 per cent Hepatitis B and 3.9 per cent Hepatitis C. In the study, Hepatitis C infection was the most common (41.3 per cent) disease, followed by HIV/Aids (4.1 per cent), Hepatitis B virus (3.1 per cent) and Tuberculosis (0.3 per cent).
Hepatitis C has the potential to trigger inflammation and infection of the liver.
Dr Nabila al Wahaibi said, “Oman, like the rest of the world, has to contend with the fact that it has been so far difficult to keep youngsters away from drugs. Once they are hooked, it is difficult to wean them away.”



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