Corrected US opioid-involved drug poisoning deaths and mortality rates, 1999-2015

BackgroundThe mortality impact of COVID-19 has thus far been described in terms of crude death counts. We aimed to calibrate the scale of the modelled mortality impact of COVID-19 using age-standardised mortality rates and life expectancy contribution against other, socially determined, causes of death in order to inform governments and the public.MethodsWe compared mortality attributable to suicide, drug poisoning and socioeconomic inequality with estimates of mortality from an infectious disease model of COVID-19. We calculated age-standardised mortality rates and life expectancy contributions for the UK and its constituent nations.ResultsMortality from a fully unmitigated COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to be responsible for a negative life expectancy contribution of −5.96 years for the UK. This is reduced to −0.33 years in the fully mitigated scenario. The equivalent annual life expectancy contributions of suicide, drug poisoning and socioeconomic inequality-related deaths are −0.25, −0.20 and −3.51 years, respectively. The negative impact of fully unmitigated COVID-19 on life expectancy is therefore equivalent to 24 years of suicide deaths, 30 years of drug poisoning deaths and 1.7 years of inequality-related deaths for the UK.ConclusionFully mitigating COVID-19 is estimated to prevent a loss of 5.63 years of life expectancy for the UK. Over 10 years, there is a greater negative life expectancy contribution from inequality than around six unmitigated COVID-19 pandemics. To achieve long-term population health improvements it is therefore important to take this opportunity to introduce post-pandemic economic policies to ‘build back better’.

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Drug poisoning deaths in the United States, 1999–2012: a statistical adjustment analysis

Population Health Metrics ◽

10.1186/s12963-016-0071-7 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Christopher J. Ruhm

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Drug Poisoning ◽

Statistical Adjustment ◽

Poisoning Deaths

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Post-mortem concentrations of drugs determined in femoral blood in single-drug fatalities compared with multi-drug poisoning deaths

Forensic Science International ◽

10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.08.015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 267 ◽

pp. 96-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Alan Wayne Jones ◽

Anita Holmgren ◽

Johan Ahlner

Keyword(s):

Post Mortem ◽

Drug Poisoning ◽

Single Drug ◽

Drug Fatalities ◽

Femoral Blood ◽

Poisoning Deaths

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Trends in drug poisoning deaths, by sex, in Ireland: a repeated cross-sectional study from 2004 to 2017

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048000 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. e048000

Author(s):

Ena Lynn ◽

Gráinne Cousins ◽

Suzi Lyons ◽

Kathleen E Bennett

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Prescription Opioids ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Drug Poisoning ◽

Death Rates ◽

Cns Depressant ◽

Pharmacy Claims ◽

Drug Classes ◽

Poisoning Deaths

ObjectiveTo examine sex differences in age-standardised rates (ASR) of overall and drug-specific drug poisoning deaths in Ireland between 2004 and 2017.DesignRepeated cross-sectional study.SettingDrug poisoning deaths in Ireland.ParticipantsNational Drug-Related Deaths Index and pharmacy claims database (Primary Care Reimbursement Service-General Medical Services) data from 2004 to 2017.Outcome measuresThe primary outcome was trends in drug poisoning death rates by sex. The secondary outcomes were trends in drug poisoning death rates involving (1) any CNS (Central Nervous System) depressants, (2) ≥2 CNS depressants and (3) specific drugs/drug classes (eg, prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, alcohol, cocaine and heroin) by sex. Joinpoint regression was used to examine trends, stratified by sex, in the ASR of drug poisoning deaths (2004–2017), change points over time and average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) with 95% CI.ResultsIncreased ASR for all drug poisoning deaths from 6.86 (95% CI 6.01 to 7.72) per 100 000 in 2004 to 8.08 (95% CI 7.25 to 8.91) per 100 000 in 2017 was mainly driven by increasing deaths among men (AAPC 2.6%, 95% CI 0.2 to 5.1), with no significant change observed among women. Deaths involving ≥2 CNS depressants increased for both men (AAPC 5.6%, 95% CI 2.4 to 8.8) and women (AAPC 4.0%, 95% CI 1.1 to 6.9). Drugs with the highest significant AAPC increases for men were cocaine (7.7%, 95% CI 2.2 to 13.6), benzodiazepines (7.2%, 95% CI 2.9 to 11.6), antidepressants (6.1%, 95% CI 2.4 to 10.0) and prescription opioids (3.5%, 95% CI 1.6 to 5.5). For women, the highest AAPC was for antidepressants (4.2%, 95% CI 0.2 to 8.3), benzodiazepines (3.3%, 95% CI 0.1 to 6.5) and prescription opioids (3.0%, 95% CI 0.7 to 5.3).ConclusionDrugs implicated in drug poisoning deaths vary by sex. Policy response should include prescription monitoring programmes and practical harm reduction information on polydrug use, especially CNS depressant drugs.

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