The prevalence of illegal substance use of the Balikesir region in Turkey; A laboratory data mining study

The purpose of this study is showed the prevalence of illegal substance use in our region according to the drug abuse screening test results of our laboratory. In this study, the data of urine specimens were retrospectively analyzed from the biochemistry laboratory information system of Balikesir State Hospital between July 2016 and November 2018 in Turkey. After the samples are taken, the properties of urine (quantity, temperature, appearance) and composition of urine (creatinine, pH, density, nitrite, oxidant) are analyzed for convenience. In our laboratory; drug abuse screening is performed for amphetamine, benzodiazepine, opiate, cocaine, cannabinoid, buprenorphine, barbiturate, ecstasy, and synthetic cannabinoid -1, 2, 3 tests. During this period, A total of 3071 samples of 1093 patients were accepted for urine analysis (M: 97.4%, F: 2.6%). 95.6% of the cases were of probation, 1.2% of the clinics (emergency and intensive care) and 3.2% of came for the job application. The positivity rate was 19.3% according to the number of patients, was 12.9% according to the total number of samples analyzed. The most commonly used substance was cannabinoid. This was followed by ecstasy, amphetamine, synthetic cannabinoid-3, and benzodiazepine. In conclusion, analysis of the substance use profile based on the laboratory data, information on substance use prevalence and profile is thought to be useful for preventive studies.