| Title |
Drug-related mortality and fatal overdose risk: Pilot cohort study of heroin users recruited from specialist drug treatment sites in London
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Journal of Urban Health, June 2003
|
| DOI | 10.1093/jurban/jtg030 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Matthew Hickman, Zenobia Carnwath, Peter Madden, Michael Farrell, Cleone Rooney, Richard Ashcroft, Ali Judd, Gerry Stimson |
| Abstract |
Fatal overdose and drug-related mortality are key harms associated with heroin use, especially injecting drug use (IDU), and are a significant contribution to premature mortality among young adults. Routine mortality statistics tend to underreport the number of overdose deaths and do not reflect the wider causes of death associated with heroin use. Cohort studies could provide evidence for interpreting trends in routine mortality statistics and monitoring the effectiveness of strategies that aim to reduce drug-related deaths. We aimed to conduct a retrospective mortality cohort study of heroin users recruited from an anonymous reporting system from specialist drug clinics. Our focus was to test whether (1). specialist agencies would agree to participate with a mortality cohort study, (2). a sample could be recruited to achieve credible estimates of the mortality rate, and (3). ethical considerations could be met. In total, 881 heroin users were recruited from 15 specialist drug agencies. The overall mortality rate of the cohort of heroin users was 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 2.2) per 100 person-years. Mortality was higher among males, heroin users older than 30 years, and injectors, but not significantly higher after adjustment in a Cox proportional hazard model. Among the 33 deaths, 17 (52%) were certified from a heroin/methadone or opiate overdose, 4 (12%) from drug misuse, 4 (12%) unascertained, and 8 (24%) unrelated to acute toxic effects of drug use. Overall, the overdose mortality rate was estimated to be at least 1.0 per 100 person-years. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 17 times higher for female and male heroin users in the cohort compared to mortality in the non-heroin-using London population aged 15-59 years. The pilot study showed that these studies are feasible and ethical, and that specialist drug agencies could have a vital role to play in the monitoring of drug-related mortality. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 57 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2 | 4% |
| Spain | 1 | 2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 53 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 11 | 19% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 9 | 16% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 12% |
| Other | 6 | 11% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 9% |
| Other | 12 | 21% |
| Unknown | 7 | 12% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 26 | 46% |
| Social Sciences | 7 | 12% |
| Neuroscience | 3 | 5% |
| Psychology | 2 | 4% |
| Philosophy | 2 | 4% |
| Other | 4 | 7% |
| Unknown | 13 | 23% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 15. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 March 2018.
All research outputs
#2,330,139
of 25,374,917 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Urban Health
#333
of 1,718 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#2,785
of 53,651 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Urban Health
#3
of 11 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,374,917 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 90th percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,718 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 22.0. This one has done well, scoring higher than 80% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 11 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its contemporaries.