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Female drug misuse deaths reach new peak in England and Wales

London Adrian O’Dowd

The annual number of deaths in England and Wales relating to drug misuse has fallen slightly, but the number of women dying has risen, new data from the Office for National Statistics show.

The office’s data show that the number of deaths from drug misuse fell from 1565 in 2002 to 1388 in 2003, the lowest figure since 1997 (Health Statistics Quarterly 2005;25:52-9). Although women are still very much a minority in terms of number of deaths, the number has risen to its highest ever level, 346 (compared with 1042 men).

The statistics, published last week, are collected from data such as death certificates and information from coroners and relate to misuse of prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, and illegal substances such as cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy.

Overall, the number of deaths related to drug poisoning fell from 2685 in 2002 to 2445 in 2003.

Anita Brock, research officer at the office, said: "We do not have information or an indication that people are taking fewer drugs. These figures show [that] in 2003 the number of deaths involving heroin/morphine fell to their lowest level since 1997 and deaths involving methadone fell to their lowest number recorded."

There was, however, a rise in the number of deaths involving antidepressants—from 392 in 2002 to 424 in 2003. The category of drug that saw the biggest proportional increase in deaths was selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

In a separate article in the same issue of Health Statistics Quarterly (2005;25:60-5) the office said that the numbers of deaths related to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is not as high as was first thought, although it is increasing.

Death certificates recorded MRSA as a factor in the deaths of 955 people in 2003 in England and Wales, almost double the figure of 487 in 1999.

Peter Goldblatt, the office’s chief medical statistician, said its statistics were more reliable than the previous figure issued by the National Audit Office of about 5000 deaths related to MRSA each year (BMJ 2004;329:131; www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/03-04/0304876.pdf)

"The figures we are presenting are the most reliable of the assessments of deaths to date," he said. The rise, he added, may be due in part to greater awareness among doctors of the problem and better reporting, so the true scale of the problem could be underestimated.

"Whether there are still cases where patients have been identified as methicillin resistant and not being reported, we need to explore that."

Mr Goldblatt said the office was due to carry out some work this year with the Health Protection Authority on methods of monitoring MRSA.

Health Statistics Quarterly 25 is at www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ25.pdf
 
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