"Dangerous relationships": asthma and substance abuse

J Addict Dis. 2013;32(2):158-67. doi: 10.1080/10550887.2013.795469.

Abstract

Commonly abused drug are cocaine, marijuana, cigarettes, heroin, and alcohol. The review emphasizes the importance for clinicians to be alert to the possibility of this substance as a precipitating factor for acute asthma. Substance use disorders to characterize illnesses associated with drug use. The use of drugs of abuse increases risk of developing more severe symptoms, higher frequency of exacerbations and having and significant effect on care resources due to clinicians visits and frequent hospital admissions. Abused drug has been shown to accelerate the decline in lung function and to increase numbers of life-threatening asthma attacks, and greater asthma mortality.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alcoholism / complications
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology
  • Asthma / chemically induced*
  • Asthma / epidemiology*
  • Cocaine-Related Disorders / complications
  • Cocaine-Related Disorders / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disease Progression
  • Humans
  • Illicit Drugs / adverse effects*
  • Marijuana Abuse / complications
  • Marijuana Abuse / epidemiology
  • Patient Readmission / statistics & numerical data
  • Risk Factors
  • Smoking / adverse effects
  • Substance-Related Disorders / complications*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
  • United States

Substances

  • Illicit Drugs