DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i06.011

Pages: 2098-2101

In traditional medicine, opium has been considered as a remedy for many disorders. This belief along with use of opium as recreation can lead to addiction with this many harmful effects to body. Over the centuries, opium has been the most frequent substance abused in the many parts of the world. In India opium dependence is widely prevalent in certain states of India, especially Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh etc. In rural areas of western Rajasthan crude opium is consumed with a social acceptance by adult male population. Later on they become addicted to it. There are many studies about the effects of opium on the various body systems but its chronic abuse effect on autonomic functions is still unclear, therefore this study is undertaken to explore the effect of chronic abuse of opium on renal functions parameters in opium dependent subjects of western Rajasthan and its comparison with normal non - addicted controlled subjects. In this study total 100 male subjects were included, which were further divided in two groups. 50 subjects were from opium addicted population and 50 were healthy subjects. Female subjects were omitted from analysis due to their low numbers. Subjects who fulfilled DSM- IV criteria were chosen as opium dependent subjects. To assess the effect of opium addiction on the renal or kidney functions parameters used are Serum urea, Serum creatinine and Serum uric acid. In our study, we found that in opium addicted subjects, all the three parameters showed statistical highly significant (P<0.001) increased values as compared to control group. These observations in our study led to the conclusion that excessive use of opium, with lack of knowledge about its side effect on kidney, would cause structural abnormalities and renal dysfunction. So recognition, treatment, and prevention of this change could be a new step in improving of health and condition of patients.