Causes of death among people who used illicit opioids in England, 2001–18: a matched cohort study

Original research
par
Lewer, Dan et al

Date de publication

2021

Géographie

UK

Langue de la ressource

English

Texte disponible en version intégrale

Oui

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Oui

Évalué par des pairs

Yes

L’objectif

In many countries, the average age of people who use illicit opioids, such as heroin, is increasing. This has been suggested to be a reason for increasing numbers of opioid-related deaths seen in surveillance data. We aimed to describe causes of death among people who use illicit opioids in England, how causes of death have changed over time, and how they change with age.

La conception ou méthodologie de recherche

In this matched cohort study, we studied patients in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink with recorded illicit opioid use (n=106789, defined as aged 18–64 years, with prescriptions or clinical observations that indicate use of illicit opioids) in England between Jan 1, 2001, and Oct 30, 2018. We also included a comparison group, matched (1:3) for age, sex, and general practice with no records of illicit opioid use before cohort entry (n=320367).

Mots clés

Mortality
About PWUD
Outcomes
Illegal drugs