Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", Lejupes Street 3, LV-1076 Riga, Latvia.
Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, Kipsalas Street 6B, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Feb 9;21(2):206. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21020206.
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) was applied to evaluate the consumption trends of pharmaceuticals (i.e., antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiepileptics, antihypertensives, and others), as well as recreational drugs (caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine), in Latvia from December 2020 to July 2023. The time period covers both the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic periods; therefore, the impact of the implemented restrictions and the consequences of the illness in terms of the usage of pharmaceuticals thereon were investigated. Additionally, the seasonality and impact of the seasonal flu and other acute upper respiratory infections were studied. The results revealed that the pandemic impacted the consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, as well as several pharmaceuticals, such as antihypertensives, antidepressants, psychiatric drugs, and the painkiller ibuprofen. The findings suggest that the imposed restrictions during the pandemic may have had a negative effect on the population's health and mental well-being. Distinct seasonal trends were discovered in the consumption patterns of caffeine and alcohol, where lower use was observed during the summer. The seasonal consumption trends of pharmaceuticals were discovered in the case of antibiotics, the antiasthmatic drug salbutamol, and the decongestant xylometazoline, where higher consumption occurred during colder seasons.
基于污水的流行病学（WBE）被应用于评估 2020 年 12 月至 2023 年 7 月期间拉脱维亚的药物（如抗生素、非甾体抗炎药、抗癫痫药、抗高血压药等）和娱乐性药物（咖啡因、酒精和尼古丁）的消费趋势。该时间段涵盖了 COVID-19 大流行和大流行后时期；因此，研究了实施的限制措施的影响以及该疾病对药物使用的影响。此外，还研究了季节性和季节性流感及其他急性上呼吸道感染的影响。结果表明，大流行影响了酒精、尼古丁和咖啡因的消费，以及几种药物的消费，如抗高血压药、抗抑郁药、精神药物和止痛药布洛芬。研究结果表明，大流行期间实施的限制措施可能对人口的健康和心理健康产生负面影响。在咖啡因和酒精的消费模式中发现了明显的季节性趋势，夏季的消费较低。在抗生素、抗哮喘药沙丁胺醇和减充血剂去氧肾上腺素的情况下发现了药物的季节性消费趋势，在较冷的季节消费较高。
