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Adulterants in crack cocaine in Brazil
Marcelo Ribeiro1,2,3, Alisson Paulino Trevizol1, Rosana Frajzinger1
1Centro de Referência de Álcool, Tabaco e Outras Drogas (CRATOD), Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Introduction:
Brazil is the world's biggest consumer of crack cocaine, and dependence is a major public health issue. This is the first study to investigate the prevalence of potentially harmful adulterants present in hair samples from Brazilian patients with crack cocaine dependence.
Method:
We evaluated adulterants in hair samples extracted by convenience from 100 patients admitted at the 48 hour-observation unit of Centro de Referência de Álcool, Tabaco e Outras Drogas (CRATOD), Brazil's largest center for addiction treatment. A cross-sectional analysis was performed with the data obtained.
Results:
Adulterants were found in 97% of the analyzed hair samples. The most prevalent adulterant was lidocaine (92%), followed by phenacetin (69%) and levamisole (31%).
Conclusion:
Adulterants were widely prevalent in hair samples from crack users treated at CRATOD: at least one adulterant was present in virtually all the hair samples collected. This points to a need to monitor adverse effects in the clinical setting in order to provide this high-risk group of patients with prompt and effective care related to the acute and chronic complications associated with these adulterants.
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