학술논문

Diagnostic Yield of Universal Urine Toxicology Screening in an Unselected Cohort of Stroke Patients.
Document Type
Article
Source
PLoS ONE. 12/16/2015, Vol. 10 Issue 12, p1-7. 7p.
Subject
*STROKE patients
*URINALYSIS
*TOXICITY testing
*MEDICAL screening
*COHORT analysis
Language
ISSN
1932-6203
Abstract
Background: Illicit drug use increases the risk of cerebrovascular events by a variety of mechanisms. A recent report suggested that universal urine toxicology (UTox) screening of patients with stroke may be warranted. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield of urine drug screening among unselected patients admitted with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: Using a single-center prospective study design, we evaluated consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, TIA, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) over one year. Urine samples were collected within 48 hours of admission and analyzed for common classes of abused drugs. Prevalence of positive UTox screening was determined. We evaluated whether baseline demographics and clinical factors were associated with UTox results. Results: Of 483 eligible patients (acute ischemic stroke 66.4%; TIA 18.8%; ICH 7.7%; SAH 7.0%), 414 (85.7%) completed UTox screening. The mean (standard deviation) age was 65.1 (15.6) years, 52.7% were male, and 64.3% were Caucasian. Twenty-two (4.6%) patients had positive screening—cannabinoids were detected in 13 cases (3.1%), cocaine in 5 cases (1.2%), amphetamines in 1 case, and phencyclidine in 1 case. The highest yield (14.1%) was observed in patients < 60 years old with history of tobacco use while it was < 5% in the remaining subgroups (p<0.01). Conclusions: Consistent with current guidelines, a selective approach to UTox screening should be pursued in acute stroke evaluation. The highest diagnostic yield is likely to be for cannabinoids and cocaine testing in younger patients with a history of concurrent tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]