Prescription
Drug
Overdose Deaths
in Southwest Virginia, 2003
Overdose Deaths
in Southwest Virginia, 2003
John Dreyzehner, MD, M.P.H.
Director, Cumberland Plateau Health District
Photo Courtesy Tim Cox
| This presentation
deals not with an outbreak investigation, but rather what appears to be an
emerging epidemic. |
|
| Background:
Prescription drug abuse has been an escalating problem over the past decade
in Virginia. Corresponding to the increase in persons abusing prescription
drugs has been an increase in fatalities among that population group. In
Southwest Virginia, the number of drug related deaths increased by over 300
percent between 1993 and 2003. Objectives: Epidemiologically describe the
population dying from prescription drug overdose and the drugs associated
with these deaths. Methods: A chart
review of all deaths attributed to a prescription drug overdose in the
Western District of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Data was entered into EpiInfo v3.2, and
descriptive analysis was done utilizing SPSS v11.0 and ArcView 8.3. Results:
A total of 211 charts were reviewed. The manner of death was classified as
accidental in 79.6 percent and suicide in 18.0 percent of cases. Of those accidental deaths the majority
were white, male, and married with an average age of 36.8 years. History of
depression and/or chronic illness was indicated in 38.7 and 39.9 percent of
cases respectively. Opioid pain medications were most frequently associated
with accidental overdose; Methadone accounting for 44.6 percent and
hydrocodone 16.1 percent of those deaths. Conclusion: The finding of narcotic
pain medication in the increasing number of overdose deaths is consistent
with findings by other investigators.
Education of providers, patients and the public regarding the risk of
abuse and misuse of these narcotic pain medications, their pharmokinetic
properties and associated risks, among other things, could lead to a
reduction in mortality. |