Background:
Individuals seeking help for drug addiction may have other comorbidities beyond personality disorders and difficulties adhering to treatment. In a globalized world, linguistic and cultural differences may further complicate healthcare access.
Description of model of care:
The CAS (Drug Addiction Care and Monitoring Centre) at Fundació Sanitària Mollet follows the Catalan drug treatment program. We describe five cases where patients seeking addiction treatment were diagnosed with untreated health conditions:
oA: A Mauritanian man with alcohol addiction, lost to follow-up for chronic hepatitis B, was found to have a liver nodule.
oB: A long-term methadone and antiretroviral therapy user with antisocial personality disorder and inconsistent adherence to HIV treatment had hepatitis B with PCR DNA positive.
oC: A homeless man on methadone therapy, frequently visiting the Emergence Room for dyspnea, was diagnosed with untreated chronic hepatitis C.
oD: A Spanish man with swallowing difficulties, initially misinterpreted as a language barrier, was diagnosed with esophageal candidiasis.
oE: A widowed woman seeking help for alcoholism showed signs of respiratory distress and was diagnosed with acute heart failure.
Effectiveness in non-addition related outcomes:
oA: Referred to a gastroenterologist.
oB: Immediate consultation with infectious disease specialists for hepatitis B and HIV treatment.
oC: Placed in a residential facility.
oD: Treated with fluconazole and secured supervised housing.
oE: Referred to the Emergency Room and diagnosed with acute heart failure.
Conclusion:
Multidisciplinary addiction care centers play a critical role in diagnosing and treating overlooked health conditions, particularly in stigmatized populations. By integrating medical and social care, these centers ensure holistic patient management, highlighting the importance of a patient-centred approach in addiction treatment.
Disclosure of Interest Statement: We don’t have any conflicts of interest in this publication. |