DrugFacts

El abuso de drogas puede ocurrir en cualquier etapa de la vida de una mujer. Sin embargo, aproximadamente la mitad de las mujeres que usan drogas ilícitas se encuentran en edad de procrear, o sea, tienen entre 15 y 44 años de edad. En 1992 y 1993, NIDA condujo una encuesta en los hospitales de toda la nación para determinar las proporciones del abuso de drogas entre mujeres embarazadas en los Estados Unidos. Todavía esta Encuesta nacional sobre el embarazo y la salud* es la que ofrece los datos más recientes que tenemos a nuestra disposición.

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), popularly known as ecstasy, is a synthetic, psychoactive drug that has similarities to both the stimulant amphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. It produces feelings of increased energy, euphoria, emotional warmth and empathy toward others, and distortions in sensory and time perception.

MDMA was initially popular among White adolescents and young adults in the nightclub scene or at “raves” (long dance parties), but the drug now affects a broader range of users and ethnicities.

Drug abuse and addiction have been inextricably linked with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. The link has to do with heightened risk—both of contracting and transmitting HIV and of worsening its consequences.

No vaccine yet exists to protect a person from getting HIV, and there is no cure. However, HIV can be prevented and its transmission curtailed. Drug abuse treatment fosters both of these goals. HIV medications also help prevent HIV transmission and the progression of HIV to AIDS, greatly prolonging lives.

What Is Drugged Driving?

Goals

NIDA’s Special Populations Office (SPO) has two goals: (1) to ensure that issues related to health disparities are adequately and appropriately represented in the Institute’ss extramural research programs and (2) to increase the number of underrepresented scientists participating in drug abuse research. SPO’s programs and initiatives for achieving these goals are described below.

Los cálculos a nivel nacional sobre las visitas a las salas de emergencias relacionadas con el consumo de drogas se obtienen de la Red de Alerta sobre el Abuso de Drogas (DAWN, por sus siglas en inglés).^1,2 La DAWN es un sistema de vigilancia de salud pública administrado por la Administración de Servicios sobre el Abuso de Sustancias y Salud Mental (SAMHSA, por sus siglas en inglés), una dependencia del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos (HHS, por sus siglas en inglés).

What Is Comorbidity?

The term “comorbidity” describes two or more disorders or illnesses occurring in the same person. They can occur at the same time or one after the other. Comorbidity also implies interactions between the illnesses that can worsen the course of both.