Publication
Title
Medical problems related to recreational drug use at nocturnal dance parties
Author
Abstract
During I love techno (edition 2001), an indoor rave party attended by 37 000 people, data about medical problems (especially drug-related problems) were collected. To place these data in a wider perspective, a similar registration was done during De Nacht, a traditional New Year's Eve dance party held at the same location and attended by 12 000 people. Furthermore, a prospective study on the time course of the level of consciousness (Glasgow Coma Score) and blood concentrations of illicit drugs, especially gamma-hydroxybutyrate was set up. The results revealed that during I love techno the incidence of medical problems was high (66.5/10 000 attendees), but not higher than during De Nacht (70.0/10 000 attendees). At I love techno, however, mainly illicit drugs were used, more frequently leading to severe drug-related medical problems. The observations in patients with a drug-related medical problem who had taken gamma-hydroxybutyrate showed that for a given level of consciousness the gamma-hydroxybutyrate concentrations may show important differences, that the transition from coma (Glasgow Coma Score ≤7) to full recovery (Glasgow Coma Score 15) takes only 3060 min (and only a small decrease in gamma-hydroxybutyrate concentrations), and that the time it takes before a comatose patient reaches the above-mentioned transition area may be a few hours.
Language
English
Source (journal)
European journal of emergency medicine. - London
Publication
London : 2003
ISSN
0969-9546
DOI
10.1097/00063110-200312000-00012
Volume/pages
10 :4 (2003) , p. 302-308
ISI
000209517600012
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 11.04.2014
Last edited 02.02.2023
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