Mortality and causes of death: 6 years of monitoring treated drug users

Abstract Background This study aims to analyse mortality among deceased cohort members from 2009-2015 in Slovenia in terms of causes of death. Cohort follows illicit drug users who were registered for the first time or repeatedly in Centres for illicit drug usage prevention and treatment. Methods 5157 subjects entered in a retrospective cohort study who were observed for 29.146 years. Data on deceased drug users from 2009 to 2012 were cross-linked with data from the General Mortality Register for the period 2009-2015. Results During 2009-2015 total of 153 deaths were recorded, mean age at death was 39.5 years. In almost three quarters violent death was the prevalent cause; among somatic causes alcoholic liver cirrhosis was the most frequent cause of death, followed by malignancies. Violent deaths occurred due to unintentional poisoning in 37%, followed by deaths from unidentified causes (11%), suicides (17%) and road accidents (2%). One half of suicides were committed by hanging. Conclusions Public health policies in the field of addiction should be more intensely focused on education on alcohol damage due to drinking, screening for patients with overdose risk and in establishing specific programs and strategies for reducing the risk of suicide in this population. Key messages Drug users should receive education on alcohol damage due to drinking. Drug users are in the risk of suicide.

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Changes in alcohol history taking by psychiatric junior doctors: an audit

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0790966700002044 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 37-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Simon J Taylor

Keyword(s):

Illicit Drug ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Inpatient Admission ◽

Junior Doctors ◽

History Taking ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Acute Psychiatric Wards ◽

First Time

AbstractObjective: In recent years a number of articles have highlighted deficiencies in drinking histories taken by junior doctors. This study examines whether standards have improved as a result. It also examines for the first time: 1. the quality of drinking histories taken from patients following parasuicide; and 2. the quality of illicit drug usage histories.Method: An audit of case notes was undertaken of 114 patients admitted to a district hospital's acute psychiatric wards or assessed following overdose. Two periods were considered; one preceding many of the articles, and the second four years later.Results: There was an overall improvement from 58% of histories in 1988 having no mention of alcohol usage to 25% in 1992. (X2MH=10.57, p<0.01). There was, however, insufficient improvement of quantitative histories to reach statistical significance. Histories taken as part of an overdose assessment were not significantly different from those taken for inpatient admission. In 1992, 27% of patients had any illicit drug usage history recorded which represented a statistically significant improvement (X2MH=5.91, p<0.02) compared with four years earlier.Conclusions: Although improvements have been noted, alcohol and drug histories remain inadequate.

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The Deterministic Evolution Of Illicit Drug Consumption Within a Given Population

ESAIM Proceedings and Surveys ◽

10.1051/proc/201862139 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 139-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yusra Bibi Ruhomally ◽

Nabeelah Banon Jahmeerbaccus ◽

Muhammad Zaid Dauhoo

Keyword(s):

Drug Users ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Drug Consumption ◽

Dynamic Evolution ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Epidemic Threshold ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Reproduction Numbers

We study the NERA model that describes the dynamic evolution of illicit drug usage in a population. The model consists of nonusers (N) and three categories of drug users: the experimental (E) category, the recreational (R) category and the addict (A) category. Two epidemic threshold term known as the reproduction numbers, R0 and μ are defined and derived. Sensitivity analysis of R0 on the parameters are performed in order to determine their relative importance to illicit drug prevalence. The local and global stability of the equilibrium states are also analysed. We also prove that a transcritical bifurcation occurs at R0 = 1. It is shown that an effective campaign of prevention can help to fight against the prevalence of illicit drug consumption. We demonstrate persistence when R0 > 1 and conditions for the extinction of drug consumption are also established. Numerical simulations are performed to verify our model. Our results show that the NERA model can assist policy makers in targeting prevention for maximum effectiveness and can be used to adopt evidence-based policies to better monitor and quantify drug use trends.

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PARENTAL DRUG USAGE: EFFECT UPON CHROMOSOMES OF PROGENY

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.47.6.1037 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 1037-1041

Author(s):

Kenneth W. Dumars

Keyword(s):

Drug Users ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Medical Problem ◽

Clinical State ◽

Chromosomal Breakage ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Illicit Drug Users ◽

Significant Difference

Illicit drug usage is a serious medical problem. Parental use of LSD and the effect upon the unborn infant is in question. However, parental use of LSD has often prevented acceptance of those children subsequently relinquished for adoption. In this study we reviewed the records and clinical state of over 1,000 consecutive infants who were relinquished for adoption. Clinical and developmental examination was conducted upon 47 and chromosomal karyotyping upon 41/47 infants whose parents were illicit drug users. In comparison with comparable controls we found no statistically significant difference in the incidence of chromosomal breakage or rearrangement. Parental use of illicit drugs does not in itself constitute a valid reason for the refusal to accept or place an infant relinquished for adoption.

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A Review of Cases of Marijuana and Violence

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051578 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1578

Author(s):

Norman S. Miller ◽

Redon Ipeku ◽

Thersilla Oberbarnscheidt

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Public Awareness ◽

The United States ◽

Personality Change ◽

Health Policies ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Loss Of Contact

Marijuana is the most consumed illicit drug in the world, with over 192 million users. Due to the current legalization push of marijuana in the United States, there has been a lack of oversight regarding its public health policies, as marijuana advocates downplay the drug’s negative effects. This paper’s approach is from a public health perspective, focusing specifically on the cases of violence amongst some marijuana users. Here, we present 14 cases of violence with chronic marijuana users that highlight reoccurring consequences of: marijuana induced paranoia (exaggerated, unfounded distrust) and marijuana induced psychosis (radical personality change, loss of contact with reality). When individuals suffering from pre-existing medical conditions use marijuana in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms, ultimately this worsens their conditions over time. Although marijuana effects depend on the individual’s endocannabinoid receptors (which control behavioral functions, like aggression) and the potency level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the drug, scientifically documented links between certain marijuana users and violence do exist. Wider public awareness of the risks and side effects of marijuana, as well as a more prudent health policy, and government agency monitoring of the drug’s composition, creation, and distribution, are needed and recommended.

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Avoidable deaths in Sweden, 1997–2018: temporal trend and the contribution to the gender gap in life expectancy

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10567-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ali Kiadaliri

Keyword(s):

Life Expectancy ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

National Registry ◽

Health Policies ◽

Substantial Contribution ◽

Avoidable Mortality ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background Avoidable mortality is considered as a potential indicator of the influences of public health policies and healthcare quality on population health. This study aimed to examine the trend in avoidable mortality and its influence on rising life expectancy (LE) and declining gender gap in LE (GGLE) in Sweden. Methods We extracted data on causes of death by age, sex, and year from national registry from 1997 to 2018. The UK Office for National Statistics definition was used to divide causes of death into five mutually exclusive categories: amenable, preventable, amenable & preventable, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and non-avoidable causes. We applied Joinpoint regression to analyse temporal trends in age-standardized mortality rates. The Arriaga method was applied to decompose changes in LE and GGLE by age group and causes of death. Results Average annual reductions in avoidable vs. non-avoidable mortality were 2.6% (95% CI:2.5, 2.7) vs. 1.4% (95% CI:1.3, 1.5) in men, and 1.6% (95% CI:1.4, 1.9) vs. 0.9% (95% CI:0.7, 1.0) in women over the study period. LE in men rose by 4.1 years between 1997 and 2018 (from 72.8 to 76.9 years), of which 2.4 years (59.3%) were attributable to reductions in avoidable mortality. Corresponding LE gain was 2.3 years in women (from 78.0 in 1997 to 80.3 in 2018) and avoidable mortality accounted for 1.0 year (45.6%) of this gain. Between 1997 and 2018, the GGLE narrowed by 1.9 years, of which 1.4 years (77.7%) were attributable to avoidable causes. Among avoidable causes, while preventable causes had the largest contribution to the GGLE, IHD had the greatest contributions to LE gains and the narrowing GGLE. Conclusions Our findings showed that avoidable causes had a substantial contribution to gain in LE with more profound gain in men than in women, resulting in narrowing the GGLE. Lower pace of reductions in preventable than amenable mortality highlights the need for improving the effectiveness of inter-sectoral health policies aimed at behavioural changes.

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Mathematical Modeling of the Impact of Rehabilitation Centers on Illicit Drug Usage

10.21203/rs.3.rs-830635/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Isa Baba ◽

Saudatu Baba Sambo

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Modeling ◽

Mathematical Model ◽

Global Stability ◽

Numerical Simulations ◽

Drug Users ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Endemic Equilibrium ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Rehabilitation Centers ◽

The Impact

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical model that studies the importance of treatment at rehabilitation centers intending to show the impact of the rehabilitation centers in minimizing illicit drug usage. We consider the global stability of endemic equilibrium using the properties of Volterra-Lyapunov matrices. Numerical simulations were carried out to show the impact of rehabilitation centers on illicit drug users.

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An Automatic Approach Designed for Inference of the Underlying Cause-of-Death of Citizens

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2414

Author(s):

Hui Ge ◽

Keyan Gao ◽

Shaoqiong Li ◽

Wei Wang ◽

Qiang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Health Policies ◽

Automatic Method ◽

Comprehensive Understanding ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Underlying Causes ◽

Manual Methods ◽

Underlying Cause Of Death

It is very important to have a comprehensive understanding of the health status of a country’s population, which helps to develop corresponding public health policies. Correct inference of the underlying cause-of-death for citizens is essential to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the health status of a country’s population. Traditionally, this relies mainly on manual methods based on medical staff’s experiences, which require a lot of resources and is not very efficient. In this work, we present our efforts to construct an automatic method to perform inferences of the underlying causes-of-death for citizens. A sink algorithm is introduced, which could perform automatic inference of the underlying cause-of-death for citizens. The results show that our sink algorithm could generate a reasonable output and outperforms other stat-of-the-art algorithms. We believe it would be very useful to greatly enhance the efficiency of correct inferences of the underlying causes-of-death for citizens.

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The contributions of public health policies and healthcare quality to gender gap and country differences in life expectancy in the UK

Population Health Metrics ◽

10.1186/s12963-021-00271-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kasim Allel ◽

Franceso Salustri ◽

Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli ◽

Ali Kiadaliri

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Lung Cancer ◽

Northern Ireland ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Healthcare Quality ◽

Health Policies ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Cross Country ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background In many high-income countries, life expectancy (LE) has increased, with women outliving men. This gender gap in LE (GGLE) has been explained with biological factors, healthy behaviours, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics, but little attention has been paid to the role of public health policies that include/affect these factors. This study aimed to assess the contributions of avoidable causes of death, as a measure of public health policies and healthcare quality impacts, to the GGLE and its temporal changes in the UK. We also estimated the contributions of avoidable causes of death into the gap in LE between countries in the UK. Methods We obtained annual data on underlying causes of death by age and sex from the World Health Organization mortality database for the periods 2001–2003 and 2014–2016. We calculated LE at birth using abridged life tables. We applied Arriaga’s decomposition method to compute the age- and cause-specific contributions into the GGLE in each period and its changes between two periods as well as the cross-country gap in LE in the 2014–2016 period. Results Avoidable causes had greater contributions than non-avoidable causes to the GGLE in both periods (62% in 2001–2003 and 54% in 2014–2016) in the UK. Among avoidable causes, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) followed by injuries had the greatest contributions to the GGLE in both periods. On average, the GGLE across the UK narrowed by about 1.0 year between 2001–2003 and 2014–2016 and three avoidable causes of IHD, lung cancer, and injuries accounted for about 0.8 years of this reduction. England & Wales had the greatest LE for both sexes in 2014–2016. Among avoidable causes, injuries in men and lung cancer in women had the largest contributions to the LE advantage in England & Wales compared to Northern Ireland, while drug-related deaths compared to Scotland in both sexes. Conclusion With avoidable causes, particularly preventable deaths, substantially contributing to the gender and cross-country gaps in LE, our results suggest the need for behavioural changes by implementing targeted public health programmes, particularly targeting younger men from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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