title: Dying for heroin: the increasing opioid-related mortality in the Republic of Ireland, 1980-1999.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the past 20 years there has been a steady rise in mortality associated with opioid misuse in several Western countries. We aimed to examine trends in opioid-related mortality over a 20-year period in the Republic of Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of deaths attributed to ICD-9 codes 304.0 (morphine-type dependence) and E850.0 (accidental poisoning by opiates and related narcotics) in the Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 1999.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Republic of Ireland has seen a rapid increase in the number of opioid-related deaths over the 20-year period studied, from 0.01% of total deaths in 1980 to 0.15% in 1999. This is most marked in the younger age groups where, for example, it rose to 23% of 15-19 year old male deaths for 1997. The opioid-related mortality rate in the 15-44 years age range increased by nearly 14 times between 1980-1984 and 1995-1999. Over the whole period, 87% of opioid-related deaths were amongst males. Outside Dublin there has been a considerable increase in opioid-related mortality, nearly doubling the percentage of the total from 6% in the 1980s to 11% in the 1990s.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Opioid-related mortality is an increasing problem in the Republic of Ireland, as in other Western countries. Today, young people have a very low mortality rate, and hence this rapid increase may need specific targeted interventions. The spread of opioid-related mortality outside Dublin to rural and other urban areas will have implications for service planning and provision.
authors.affiliation: National Addiction Centre and Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. mike.kelleher@slam.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Michael J A
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Keown
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Gara
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Keaney
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D003932:Heroin