Deaths From Drug Overdose and Toxicity in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey is located on the main overland connection between Asia and Europe, making the country potentially vulnerable to drug trafficking and its associated harms. The aim of the present study is to explore the frequency of all deaths from drug overdose and toxicity in Turkey and to describe some of the characteristics of these deaths. We collected data on all deaths from drugs in Turkey between 1997 and 2001 using records from the Council of Forensic Medicine. Data obtained from autopsy reports were retrospectively analyzed. In the present study, 374 deaths from drugs were reported in Turkey, with a mortality rate of 0.17 per 100,000 population. Highest mortality rates were found in Istanbul (0.83) and Gaziantep (0.71). The mean age was 34.0, and most cases (71.7%) were below the age of 40. The proportion of female cases was 13.6%. Opiates were implicated in 91.5% of deaths and benzodiazepines in 25.9%. Two fifths (38.8%) of the cases involved use of more than 1 drug. In 36.6% of cases, the route of final drug administration was by injection. The most common location of death was at a home (33.7%). Interventions to reduce drug use nationally are urgently required. International cooperation in social-educational activities, scientific research, and security measures is essential for this war.

Influence of war on quantitative and qualitative changes in drug-induced mortality in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia

“…This is in line with other studies, although some studies found that most of the deaths occurred in public spaces, usually in the streets (3,5,8). …”

“…However, when the number of people who are really threatened by drug overdose is monitored, the men-women ratio is reduced to 1:5, which suggests that female drug users are exposed to a similar risk as male (29,31). Individuals who died of drug abuse were averagely older in the pre- and post-war sub-period than during the war, while in the entire period they were on average in their late twenties and early thirties, which corresponds to reports in the literature (4,5,8,29,30). This also confirms that, contrary to the popular belief, young, inexperienced drug users are not in the greatest danger of drug overdose (13,14).…”

“…A positive toxicological result for several substances in most of the drug-related deaths is in line with studies in other countries that show the connection between the consumption of several substances and overdose deaths (42,43). Use of other substances (benzodiazepines and analgesics) and alcohol is mostly mentioned as an additional risk factor (8,30,44,45). Several studies have established that even a small quantity of alcohol in combination with heroin represents a risk factor (46,47).…”

“…According to the definition of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), drug-induced deaths refer to the deaths caused by the use of one or more substances, at least one of which is a psychoactive drug (3). Although there are differences among countries, the number of drug-induced deaths in the world has significantly increased in the recent few years (2-8). …”

Difficulties in Recording Mortality Resulting from Drug Abuse

“…They are a valuable indicator of dimensions of the drug abuse problem in a country or a region, especially when interpreted along with other indicators (1,2). Studies have shown that, similarly to other mortality causes (3)(4)(5), certification of drug abuse deaths presents a significant problem in the world, whether they are overdose related deaths or other deaths resulting from drugs misuse (6,7).…”