INTOXICATION BY DRUGS OF ABUSE IN BRAZIL: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drug sales have grown all over the world and intoxications resulting from the non-rational consumption of such substances have represented an important public health problem. The present study aimed to carry out an epidemiological survey to identify the time-spatial distribution pattern of drug intoxications in Brazil and in their respective administrative regions, considering their distribution by gender and age, in the period between 2011 and 2021. For this purpose, data available on the Health Brazilian government website (datasus.saude.gov.br/) were evaluated, and these data were made available in spreadsheets and statistically evaluated. It was observed that there was an increase in the prevalence of drug poisoning in the period between 2017 and 2021, particularly in the North, Southeast and Midwest regions, with emphasis on women and adolescents/young adults, and this epidemiological behavior may be related with the practice of self-extermination. Finally, based on the results obtained, it is worth highlighting the importance of the practice of pharmaceutical care as a way of minimizing the risks inherent to the practice of self-medication and the intoxication processes resulting from this process.