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Relapse Rates and Admission Correlates among Patients Admitted for a Substance Use Disorder to the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Relapse in addiction treatment is the recurrence of substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms or return to the previous pattern of substance use after a period of abstinence. Relapse rate varies between 37% and 91% depending on the substances used, length of hospital admission and presence of psychotic and mood symptoms. This figure is projected by the World Health Organization to increase by >40% by 2030 in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria; based on population growth rate. This study aims to describe the relapse rate and possible factors that may contribute to relapse within our study population. Methodology: This retrospective descriptive study was carried using case folders of 262 patients diagnosed of SUDs admitted to Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba between January 2018 and December 2021. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Statistical significance was set at <0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results: The cumulative relapse rate was 19.5% but varied across substances used with cocaine users having the highest (27.3%). The number of admissions during the study varied between 1 admission (for 210 patients) and 5 admissions (for two patients) and 68.3% of patients were lost to follow-up after the first admission. The most common psychoactive substance used by the patients (both alone and in combination) was cannabis; 236 (90.1%). Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) at first admission significantly reduced the odds of relapse (odds ratio = 0.23 [0.12–0.45]) Conclusion: Relapse rate reduced in patients who had CBT. Lost-to-follow-up rate of patients was 68.3% suggesting strongly that COVID-19 which was at its nadir during the duration of the study may have affected the accessibility of health care among patients.

Source: Nigerian Journal of Medicine

DOI: 10.4103/njm.njm_92_24