[Descriptive analysis of drug-related deaths over a 5-year period].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to examine opiate-related deaths in the German town Essen (inhabitants about 600,000) from 1990-1994. Sociodemographic data, psychiatric comorbidity and purity of the used opioids were of focussed interest.


METHODS
189 opiate-related deaths were analysed during the 5-year period. Patient files and police-related documents were used for the retrospective analysis. Purity of opioids was examined in a criminalistic laboratory and correlated with the number of deaths per time interval.


RESULTS
The average age to start drug abuse in this cohort of 189 people was about 20, the average time of drug career was about 8.5 years, and the highest number of drug-related deaths was to be found at the age of 29-30. Purity of opioids was correlated statistically significantly (p < 0.05) with the number of deaths per period of time.


CONCLUSIONS
After an average start of drug abuse at the age of 20 and a drug career of about a decade the risk of drug-related death seems to be relatively high at the age of about 30 years. Opiate purity seems to be relevant for drug-related death.
Davids
Eugen
E
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Universität Essen, Rheinische Kliniken Essen. eugen.davids@uni-essen.de
Reinhold
Uwe
U
Rösinger
Clemens
C
Gastpar
Markus
M
D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000506:poisoning*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000401:mortality; D012306:Risk; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D009294:Narcotics