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Mortality of intravenous drug users: attenders of the Wellington Drug Clinic, 1972‐89
Author(s) -
DUKES P. D.,
ROBINSON G. M.,
ROBINSON B. J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595239200185701
Subject(s) - medicine , propoxyphene , drug , methadone , drug overdose , accidental , mortality rate , cause of death , emergency medicine , anesthesia , poison control , psychiatry , physics , disease , analgesic , acoustics
A mortality study of 997 patients registered for treatment at the Wellington Drug Clinic since 1971 was undertaken by examining the New Zealand death records. Sixty‐seven known deaths were reported. The mortality rates were increased 11.5 times under the age of 25 years, and 5.8 times for age 25–34 years, but not significantly thereafter. There were 7 deaths from trauma, 8 from suicide, and 28 accidental deaths. Myocarditis was the cause of death in four cases. In the 28 drug‐related deaths the principle drugs incriminated were dextropropoxyphene, barbiturates, chloral hydrate, methadone and other opiates. Twenty‐one deaths were due to unrelated diseases. It was considered important to document mortality in intravenous drug users in the 'pre‐HIV era. This study demonstrates quite low death rates from opioid drugs themselves.