Inhalant misuse is the deliberate inhalation of products containing toluene to induce intoxication. Chronic harms associated with inhalant misuse are well described; including alcohol and other drug use, mental health disorders, and suicidal behaviours. However, the nature of the acute harms from inhalants and characteristics of people who experience those harms are not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the acute harms associated with inhalant misuse attendances, and to determine whether these differ by age or gender.
Ambulance attendance data (Victoria, Australia) from January 2012 to June 2017 were extracted from a database of coded ambulance records. 779 ambulance attendances involving inhalant misuse were identified. Attendance characteristics were categorised by age and gender. Co-morbidities of current mental health, self-harm and suicidal behaviour were assessed, plus the involvement of alcohol and other drugs.
Overall, attendances related to the acute harms of inhalant misuse have decreased over time, although that trend has reversed from January 2015. Gender differentiated the acute harms associated with inhalant misuse. Males were older and presented with concurrent alcohol and other drug use. Females were younger and presented with concurrent suicidal ideation and self-injury. Attendances for under 15-year-olds are increasing; this age group was over-represented, predominantly female, with a strong association with self-injury.
Ambulance presentations related to inhalant misuse were associated with acute and serious harms. This study highlights that the acute treatment needs of those misusing inhalants are complex and may need to be tailored to gender and age groups.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
4
4%
Social Sciences
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3%
Other
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4%
Unknown
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54%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 5. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 07 July 2018.
All research outputs
#10,440,875
of 34,400,738 outputs
Outputs from Drug & Alcohol Dependence
#3,563
of 7,186 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#129,093
of 374,445 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Drug & Alcohol Dependence
#45
of 98 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,400,738 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 69th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 7,186 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 20.1. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 50% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 374,445 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 65% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 98 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 54% of its contemporaries.
