FREQUENT MEDICAL VISITS BY COCAINE-USING SUBJECTS IN A CANADIAN COMMUNITY - AN INVISIBLE PROBLEM FOR HEALTH PRACTITIONERS

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of medical visi ts by cocaine-rising subjects in a Canadian community. A sample of 100 subjects reporting cocaine use at least 10 times in the previous 12 m onths were recruited in an urban setting in Canada and interviewed in a structured manner to address aspects of their use of cocaine and the ir responses to those agents. The respondents reported a total of 488 medical visits in the 12 months prior to interview. The frequency of v isits correlated with the use of cocaine, barbiturates, hallucinogens, narcotics, and amphetamines. Medical visits also varied with the freq uency with which the subjects reported certain adverse reactions to co caine. Logistic regression modeling was used to assign subjects into a higher medical contact group (three or more medical visits per 12 mon ths) and a lower medical contact group (two or fewer medical visits pe r 12 months). Member ship in the higher or lower contact group was dif ferentiated by a simple model in which the classifying variables were whether or not the subjects reported using crack cocaine in the previo us year, whether or not they reported using hallucinogens in the previ ous year, and whether or not they reported experiencing aggressive rea ctions with the use of cocaine. Thus, users of cocaine report frequent visits to physicians, Medical visits are more likely if they also use d crack cocaine, if they experienced aggressive reactions to cocaine, and if other substances were also used. Recognition of this behavior m ay facilitate earlier intervention by primary care physicians. (C) 199 7 Elsevier Science Inc.