Amphetamine-Related Hospital Stays Rise in O.C. : Narcotics: Admissions data study covers drug trends between 1983 and 1992, during which cocaine and marijuana admissions leveled off.

SANTA ANA — Amphetamine-related admissions to local hospitals dramatically increased during the past decade, according to a drug and alcohol study released Thursday by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Until now, county health officials have relied heavily upon anecdotal evidence to chart the growing popularity of the amphetamine class of drugs, also known as “speed.” But the study confirms its increased usage, showing that the number of hospital admissions jumped from just under 30 cases in 1983 to 100 cases in 1992. That represents a 176% increase.

Although the report’s data only runs through 1992, officials say the information will be useful in understanding drug trends and determining drug prevention and treatment policy.

“Although we had a lot of information a few years ago about amphetamines, it was not based on the data,” said James Cunningham, manager of the agency’s office of policy research and planning and the principal author of the study. “But this study just shows the tip of the iceberg. These are people who were experiencing illness and required hospital care. Many others did not go to the hospital.”

The report looks at Orange County hospital admissions of whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians who have used alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine and several other drugs.

In addition to the rise in admissions for amphetamine abusers, the study also found a sharp rise of hospitalizations for cocaine usage in the late 1980s. Cocaine-related admissions, which numbered about 100 in 1983, rose by 105% in 1988, then dipped and leveled off.

Also, whites, who comprise 65% of the county’s population, accounted for most of the hospital admissions in every category. Whites accounted for four-fifths of alcohol-related admissions, 80% of sedative-related admissions, 84% of amphetamine-related admissions and 84% of marijuana-related admissions.

“A possible reason for the over-representation of whites [in alcohol-related admissions] is that in Orange County they are on average older than Latinos and Asians, and alcohol-related morbidity increases with age,” the report says. The median age of patients with alcohol-related illnesses was 45 and men outnumbered women by 2 to 1.

The study includes only cases where patients were admitted through an emergency room. At the beginning of the study period, whites accounted for 87.5% of cocaine admissions, but by 1992 the percentage had dropped to 67.3%. At the same time, cocaine admissions for all but Asians increased dramatically. Latino admissions increased from 7% to 21.7% and admissions of blacks, who are 1.6% of the county population, increased from 3.8 to 9.4%.

Regarding gender, men outnumbered women in every category of admissions except for abuse of sedatives, in which women outnumber men by 2 to 1.

“These are the first data to clearly demonstrate the problem and describe which groups are most affected and, consequently, in special need of intervention efforts,” said Timothy P. Mullins, director of mental health, drug and alcohol programs for the Health Care Agency.

Health officials say the information will be useful in understanding drug trends and determining drug prevention and treatment policy.

“This will be useful especially in a time when there are such limited resources,” said Dan Hicks, a planning analyst in the Health Care Agency’s office of policy research and planning. “But what sets this [report] apart is that it shows the bigger picture. It’s a study done over time and looks at populations.”

In addition to amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, the study also looked at hospital admissions related to other sedatives, such as opiates and hallucinogens.

Alcohol-related admissions showed a 12% increase during the study period, while admissions related to opiates rose 22%.

Marijuana admissions peaked in 1988 after a steady five-year rise. Although they have leveled off, admissions related to marijuana in 1992 were 12% higher than in 1983.

Hospital admissions for hallucinogens remained relatively flat during the study, except for a slight increase in 1987. But patients were younger than in any other group, with a median age of 19. One-third of hallucinogen patients were younger than 18 and another third were 18 to 24. Whites made up the bulk of admissions, accounting for about 82% at the beginning of the study and 97% in 1992.

Substance abuse experts cautioned, however, that the study should be seen only as depicting trends in usage and not the numbers of people using drugs.

“It’s not a survey of what people are doing out in the street, but it does give a measure of what is happening, because more people are entering into hospitals,” said William Edelman, deputy director of the health agency’s alcohol and drug abuse services division.

“For example, it’s not going to tell you if people are using more heroin. It’s possible that some people who use heroin realize they may not get help at a hospital and they might wind up with more hassles with law enforcement, so they don’t go,” Edelman said.