Common types and methods of drug usage in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Drug usage is a prevalent social and health problem in most countries. The highest prevalence of drug abuse has been reported among people aged 30-40 years old. The purpose of this study was to determination of the types of drugs and the methods of drug usage in Iran in a systematic and meta-analysis study. Methods: This study was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases ofSID, Iran Doc, ISI, Cochrane library, Science direct, PubMed/Medline, and Scopus were independently searched by two researchers using MeSH keywords. Articles published between 2004 and 2018 were recruited.Data was analyzed using random effectsmodel using STATA-SE12 software. Heterogeneity among studies was investigated using, T2 and I2statistical indices. Results: Initial search retrieved 90 articles from which 7 articles with desirable quality were finally analyzed. Opium was the most common in used narcotic50 (95 CI: 35-66) followed by opium extract44(95 CI: 5-83), and heroin 19(95 CI: 12-26). Using more than one narcotic was observed in 9 (95 CI: 4-15). The inhalation was the most common method of usage72 (95 CI: 61-83) followed by oral consumption 32(95 CI: 9-54) and injection 14( 95 CI: 05-24). Conclusion: Drug abuseis a common phenomenon in Iran. It is amenable to reduce the tendency to using drugs by providing appropriate training, informing the risks of drug abuse, and identifying and educating high-risk groups. © 2020, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. All rights reserved.