Fluctuations in heroin purity and the incidence of fatal heroin overdose

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Volumn 54, Issue 2, 1999, Pages 155-161

  Darke, Shane ^a   Hall, Wayne ^a   Weatherburn, Don ^b   Lind, Bronwyn ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES   (Australia)

^b NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research   (Australia)

Author keywords

Fatal overdose; Heroin purity; South western Sydney

Indexed keywords

DIAMORPHINE;

ADULT; ARTICLE; AUSTRALIA; CONTROLLED STUDY; DRUG OVERDOSE; DRUG PURITY; FATALITY; FEMALE; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; PRIORITY JOURNAL;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; CAUSE OF DEATH; CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS; DRUG INTERACTIONS; FEMALE; HEROIN; HEROIN DEPENDENCE; HUMANS; INCIDENCE; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NARCOTICS; NEW SOUTH WALES; OVERDOSE; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; STREET DRUGS; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 0032966517     PISSN: 03768716     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0376-8716(98)00159-8     Document Type: Article

References (24)

1. Aderjan R., Hoemann S., Schmitt G., Skopp G. Morphine and morphine glucuronides in serum of heroin consumers and in heroin-related deaths determined by HPLC with native fluorescence detection. J. Anal. Tox. 19:1995;163-168.
2. Brescher, E.M., 1972. The 'heroin overdose' mystery and other hazards of addiction. In: Brescher, E.M. (ed.), Licit and Illicit Drugs. Little, Brown and Co., Boston, MA, USA.
3. Cottrell D., Childs-Clarke A., Ghodse A.H. British opiate addicts: an 11-year follow-up. Br. J. Psych. 146:1985;448-450.
4. Darke S., Sunjic S., Zador D., Prolov T. A comparison of blood toxicology of heroin-related deaths and current heroin users in Sydney Australia. Drug Alc. Depend. 47:1997;45-53.
5. Darke S., Zador D. Fatal heroin overdose: A review. Addiction. 91:1996;1757-1764.
6. Darke S., Ross J., Hall W. Overdose among heroin users in Sydney, Australia I. Prevalence and correlates of non-fatal overdose. Addiction. 91:1996;405-411.
7. De la Fuente L., Barrio G., Vicente J., Bravo M.J., Santacreu J. The impact of drug-related deaths on mortality among young adults. Am. J. Pub. Health. 85:1995;102-105.
8. English, D.R, Holman, C.D.J., Milne, E., Winter, M.G., Hulse, G.K., Codde, J.P., et al., 1995. The Quantification of Drug Caused Morbidity and Mortality in Australia (1995 Edition). Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra.
9. Frischer M., Goldberg D., Rahman M., Berney L. Mortality and survival among a cohort of drug injectors in Glasgow, 1982-1994. Addiction. 92:1997;419-427.
10. Fugelstad, A., 1994. Heroin deaths in Stockholm, 1986-1991. Paper presented to the Fifth International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm, Toronto, 1994.
11. Hall W., Darke S. Trends in opiate overdose deaths in Australia, 1997-1995. Drug Alcohol Depend. 52:1998;71-77.
12. Kintz P., Mangin P., Lugnier A.A., Chaumont A.J. Toxicological data after heroin overdose. Hum. Tox. 8:1989;487-489.
13. Levine B., Green D., Smialek J.E. The role of ethanol in heroin deaths. J. Forensic Sci. 40:1995;808-810.
14. Manning F.J., Ingraham L.H. Drug 'overdoses' among US soldiers in Europe, 1978-1979. I. Demographics and toxicology. Int. J. Addict. 18:1983;89-98.
15. Monforte J.R. Some observations concerning blood morphine concentrations in narcotic addicts. J. Forensic Sci. 22:1977;718-724.
16. O'Doherty M., Farrington A. Estimating local opioid addict mortality. Addict. Res. 4:1997;321-327.
17. Oppenheimer E., Tobutt C., Taylor C., Andrew T. Death and survival in a cohort of heroin addicts from London clinics: a 22 year follow-up. Addiction. 89:1994;1299-1308.
18. Proudfoot, A.T., 1988. Diamorphine overdosage. In: Scott, D.B. (ed.), Diamorphine. Its Chemistry, Pharmacology and Clinical Use. Woodhead-Faulkner, New York.
19. Ruttenber A.J., Luke J.L. Heroin-related deaths: new epidemiologic insights. Science. 226:1984;14-20.
20. Ruttenber A.J., Kalter H.O., Santinga P. The role of ethanol abuse in the etiology of heroin-related death. J. Forensic Sci. 35:1990;891-900.
21. Sanchez J., Rodriguez B., De Al Fuente L., Barrio G., Vincente J., Roca J.et al. Opiates or cocaine: mortality from acute reactions in six major Spanish cities. J. Epid. Pub. Health. 49:1995;54-60.
22. Weatherburn D., Lind B. The impact of law enforcement activity on a heroin market. Addiction. 92:1997;557-569.
23. Wilkinson, L., 1990. SYSTAT: The System for Statistics. SYSTAT Inc., Evanston Illinios.
24. Zador D., Sunjic S., Darke S. Heroin-related deaths in New South Wales, 1992: Toxicological findings and circumstances. Med. J. Aust. 164:1996;204-207.