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Drug-related mortality in Denmark 1970-93

The Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark

Karin Helweg-Larsen

The Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark

We analysed drug-related mortality in Denmark with respect to secular trends, gender, and regional variations, for the period 1970 - 93, for all deaths from poisoning and among drug addicts. The study was based on the Register of Causes of Death in Denmark and included 6,229 drug-related deaths, defined by specific combinations of manner of death, underlying cause of death, and contributory cause of death. The main outcome measure is age-specific mortality rate. A total of 63% of the drug-related deaths were registered as unnatural deaths. During the period studied, mortality increased for men in the 25 - 49 year age group and for women in all age groups over 25 years of age. For both men and women, the youngest birth cohorts from the mid-1950s and 1960s suffered much higher mortality than those born before 1950; however, the three youngest birth cohorts had almost the same mortality. During the entire period, mortality in the capital, Copenhagen, was much higher than in the provinces, but in the last years, a more favourable trend has been seen in Copenhagen.

Key Words: birth cohorts • cause of death • Denmark • drugs • geography • mortality • time.

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