Table 1.
Characteristics of emergency department visits related to drug use, by gender, from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) database (N=27,865,483).
| Female proportion, % | Male proportion, % | Male:Female unadjusted OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age category | |||
| 18–29 | 25.3 | 30.0 | 1.15 (1.11, 1.18) |
| 30–44 | 26.5 | 28.0 | 1.08 (1.04, 1.11) |
| 45–54 | 16.7 | 18.2 | 1.11 (1.08, 1.15) |
| 55 or older* | 31.5 | 25.6 | 0.75 (0.72, 0.79) |
| Race | |||
| White* | 72.5 | 66.5 | 0.75 (0.70, 0.81) |
| Black/African-American* | 17.4 | 20.9 | 1.25 (1.16, 1.34) |
| Other* | 10.1 | 12.7 | 1.29 (1.17, 1.43) |
| Drug category | |||
| Any illicit drug* | 18.5 | 37.8 | 2.69 (2.56, 2.80) |
| Cocaine* | 9.6 | 18.9 | 2.18 (2.06, 2.32) |
| Marijuana* | 5.5 | 12.4 | 2.41 (2.31, 2.52) |
| Heroin* | 3.6 | 8.6 | 2.59 (2.35, 2.64) |
| Methamphetamines* | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.95 (1.78, 2.14) |
| Hallucinogens* | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.54 (1.35, 1.76) |
| Prescription opioids | 17.9 | 17.2 | 0.95 (0.90, 1.00) |
| Disposition† | |||
| Hospital admission* | 30.5 | 34.3 | 1.19 (1.14, 1.24) |
| ICU admission* | 17.0 | 15.6 | 0.90 (0.85, 0.96) |
| Psychiatric admission* | 4.1 | 6.5 | 1.62 (1.44, 1.83) |
| Discharged* | 56.5 | 54.4 | 0.76 (0.72, 0.79) |
| Discharged with detox referral* | 3.2 | 5.9 | 1.90 (1.72, 2.09) |
ICU, intensive care unit
*
Statistically significant difference between genders.
†
Disposition categories do not add up to 100% because several disposition categories were omitted (e.g. transferred, deceased, left against medical advice). Admissions to the ICU and psychiatry are subset of the total hospital admissions. Omitted admissions include those to inpatient, surgery, and inpatient detox unit. Similarly, discharged with detox referral is a subset of detox. Discharged home and released to police/jail is not included in this table.