Breaking the Taboo: Illicit Drug Use among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of illicit drug use in a group of Polish adolescents with type 1 diabetes (DM1) in comparison with a national cohort of their healthy peers. Methods. Two hundred and nine adolescents with DM1, aged 15–18 years, were studied in 2013 with an anonymous questionnaire prepared for the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). The control group was a representative sample of 12114 students at the same age who took part in ESPAD in 2011. Metabolic control was regarded as good if self-reported HbA1c was <8% or poor if HbA1c was ≥8%. Results. Lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use was lower among adolescents with DM1 than in the control group [58 (28%) versus 5524 (46%), p = 10−5]. Cannabis preparations were the most frequently used substances [38 (18.3%) versus 3976 (33.1%), p = 10−5], followed by tranquilizers, sedatives, and amphetamine. Lifetime and last 12-month use of cannabis were associated with poorer glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 8%), p < 0.01 and 0.02, respectively. Conclusions. Adolescents with DM1 report using illicit drugs to a lesser extent than their healthy peers. The use of cannabis is associated with a poorer metabolic control in teens with DM1.

ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2018: Diabetes in adolescence

“…This risk is heightened by an apparent association between alcohol consumption, poorer metabolic control, and risk of diabetic ketoacidosis . There is some evidence though that diabetic youth may use illicit or recreational drugs less commonly and smoke less commonly than healthy peers. Smoking in the context of type 1 diabetes during youth is a marker of social deprivation .…”

Heart Knowledge and Risk Perception Profile in Substance Misusers: Partitioning Risky Samples and Determining Correlates: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The risk factors caused by unhealthy lifestyles is not only prevalent among the general population of Iran (24), they are also creating complications among drug addicts (12). Factors such as smoking cigarettes (25), obesity (26), hypertension (27), diabetes (28), malnutrition (29), sedentary lifestyle and lack of mobility (30), as well as stress (31) are prevalent among addicts. Considering that about two-thirds of our patients had poor cardiac risk perception, the likelihood of controlling these risk factors is weak.…”

The effects of recreational cannabis use on glycemic outcomes and self-management behaviours in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a rapid review

“…The study characteristics of the six included articles are summarized in Table 1. Study designs were cross-sectional (N = 4, 67%) [21,23,24,26], cohort (N = 1, 17%) [22] and case-control (N = 1, 17%) [25]. All studies were published between 2016 and 2018, and the majority were conducted in the USA (N = 4, 67%) [21,22,24,25].…”

“…The average age of participants was 16.5 to 39.1 years; one study by Hogendorf et al included only teenage participants (15-18 years of age) while two studies included a mix of teenagers and adults [24,26]; two studies included only adults (> 18 years of age) [21,22] and one study did not report the age of the sample population [25]. Five of the six studies reported gender distributions ranging between 40.2 and 100% female participants [21][22][23][24]26]. Five of the six studies included investigation of T1D (n = 5, 83%) [21][22][23][24]26] while one study examined T2D (N = 1, 17%) [25]; no relevant [21]; another reported a combination of insulin injections and insulin pump therapy [22]; and Wisk et al [26] reported use of insulin pumps, blood sugar testing at least 5 times a day and completing at least 3 HbA1c tests in the past year [26].…”