title: Potential Years of Life Lost Due to Premature Mortality Among Treatment-Seeking Illicit Drug Users in Finland.
abstract: Premature death is a serious public health concern. The primary objective of this study was to examine premature deaths in terms of potential years of life lost (PYLL) in a cohort of 4817 treatment-seeking illicit drug users. Clients' data were linked to the Finnish national cause-of-death register and the follow-up period ranged from 31 January 1997 to 31 December 2010. PYLL before 70 years was calculated for all deaths and cause-specific deaths by gender. We observed 496 deaths (417 males and 79 females) at the end of 2010. The mean age at death was 33.8 years, 34.3 years for males (range 18-68) and 31.4 years for females (range 16-53). Overall, 17,951 life years were lost; 14,898 among males and 3053 among females. The overall PYLL rate for males was more than twice that of females (513.0/1000 vs. 243.7/1000 person-years) but the mean PYLL was higher in females than males (38.6 vs. 35.7 years). Of the total PYLL, 34.8 % was due to accidental overdose, and 24.0 % to suicide. In both genders, accidental overdose and suicide were the two top-ranking causes of PYLL. Premature deaths among drug users are a potential loss to the society. Our findings suggest that measures targeting accidental overdose and suicide are top priorities for reducing preventable loss of life.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland. ifeoma.onyeka@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Ifeoma N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Onyeka
authors.affiliation: , Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Caryl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Beynon
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Social Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|FCG Finnish Consulting Group, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vohlonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Eastern Finland, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiihonen
authors.affiliation: Helsinki Deaconess Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Föhr
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Kimmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ronkainen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kauhanen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000401:mortality; D055030:Drug Users / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Mortality; Potential years of life lost (PYLL); Premature deaths; Substance abuse; Treatment-seeking