Contributions from 40 years of epidemiological research on inhalant use in Mexico

Background The study about the misuse of inhalant solvents started in Mexico during the 1970, although the interest in this subject decreased during some periods, its consumption continued among the young population, thus, it is relevant to update the state of the art on this matter. Objective Identify the state of knowledge on inhalant abuse, its consequences, prevention and the treatment alternatives in Mexico in the last four decades. Method We performed a bibliographical inquiry between August and September 2014 on the papers published between 1970 and 2014 about inhalant solvents consumption in Mexico. It integrated the publications included in the historical archive of the Epidemiological and Psychosocial Research Direction, Mental Health Journal, Medline, Elsevier and Scielo Mexico. Results After revision, 83 out of 1083 papers fulfilled all the criteria that we considered for inclusion in the analysis. This body of work has been performed on different population segments: marginalized groups, juvenile gang members, children in street situation, adults and minors secluded in detention centers, sex workers, people seeking treatment, students, and the general population. Discussion and conclusion The various relevant aspects of the consumer population of inhalant solvents in Mexico were identified. Detection of this ample profile of individuals at risk could serve as the basis for the development of prevention and treatment programs to attend to the specific needs of these groups, since the programs currently in progress are scarce and some of them have not had follow up assessments or have not been evaluated at all. Key words: Solvent inhalant, epidemiological studies. Antecedentes El estudio del consumo de solventes inhalables en Mexico se inicio en la decada de 1970 y a pesar de que por periodos ha disminuido el interes en el mismo, este no ha desaparecido y debido a que el consumo prevalece entre la poblacion joven, es relevante actualizar el estado del arte en la materia. Objetivo Identificar el estado del conocimiento sobre los solventes inhalables, las consecuencias, las alternativas de prevencion y su tratamiento en las cuatro ultimas decadas en Mexico. Metodo Se realizo una busqueda bibliografica entre agosto y septiembre de 2014, de los articulos publicados entre 1970 y 2014 sobre el consumo de solventes inhalables en Mexico. Se integraron publicaciones incluidas en el archivo historico de la Direccion de Investigaciones Epidemiologicas y Ps