Substance Use Disorder Admission Rates Before and After the Lockdown in a Large Addiction Center in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the potential changes in substance use disorder (SUD) admission rates before and after the lockdown in a major addiction center in Saudi Arabia. Method: This retrospective cohort study extracted data from Al-Amal Hospital Electronic Health Record in the city of Dammam, Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 2,426 cases included in the analysis for patients who received services from the SUD treatment programs from 1/1/2015 to 31/12/2021. Results: Before the pandemic, there was a consistent increase in the admission rates for patients with substance use disorder. The highest proportion of increase were among unemployed, young, newly admitted patients. During lockdown, there was nearly a 70% reduction in SUDs-related admission rate. The age group 18–25 was seven-times more likely to be admitted for SUD after the lockdown. Amphetamine-related admissions were two times more likely to be admitted after the lockdown (Odds ratio (OR) 2.04; confidence interval (CI) 95%[1.64, 2.54]). Conclusions: There was nearly 70% reduction in SUDs admission rates during the lockdown. After the lockdown, a significant proportional increase in amphetamine use disorder admissions was observed mostly among the patients age group 18–24 with a history of a previous admissions. Determining populations at risk for high health care utilization is crucial in building a comprehensive and effective prevention strategy. Therefore, the need to adopt coordinated strategies and innovative, comprehensive approaches to benefit individuals with SUD is imperative to face the increased rate of SUD related admissions.

Keywords:

• Substance use disorder
• addiction
• admission
• amphetamine
• COVID-19 pandemic
• lockdown

Consent for publication

All authors contribute and agree for publication.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was performed in line with the declaration principles of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) approved this study (NRJ22J/019/01). All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations of KAIMRC.

Data and materials availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from [Al-Amal Hospital, and Ministry of Health]. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Data is available at [https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Forms/Studies-and-Researches/Pages/default.aspx] with the permission of [Ministry of Health].

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.