Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs
The present study is a survey of fatal poisonings occurring in 2022 among people who use drugs (PWUD) in the Nordic countries. This is the eighth report in a series of studies on PWUD conducted about every fifth year since 1984 by a working group representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sw...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Forensic Science International: Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910725000040 |
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| author | Pirkko Kriikku Hilde Marie E. Edvardsen Gunilla Thelander Svava Thordardottir Charlotte Uggerhøj Andersen Ilkka Ojanperä Anna K. Jönsson Joachim Frost Simon Kjær Hermansen Gerd J.M. Delaveris Kirsten Wiese Simonsen |
| author_facet | Pirkko Kriikku Hilde Marie E. Edvardsen Gunilla Thelander Svava Thordardottir Charlotte Uggerhøj Andersen Ilkka Ojanperä Anna K. Jönsson Joachim Frost Simon Kjær Hermansen Gerd J.M. Delaveris Kirsten Wiese Simonsen |
| author_sort | Pirkko Kriikku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present study is a survey of fatal poisonings occurring in 2022 among people who use drugs (PWUD) in the Nordic countries. This is the eighth report in a series of studies on PWUD conducted about every fifth year since 1984 by a working group representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.Data on the number of deaths, gender, age, place of death, main intoxicant, and drugs detected in blood were recorded. National data were compared between the Nordic countries as well as with the earlier studies. The death rate (number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) among PWUD in 2022 was highest in Norway (8.03), followed by Iceland (7.20) and Finland (5.95), and lowest in Denmark (5.09). This rate increased in all countries compared to 2017, except in Sweden, which saw a decrease from 6.46 to 5.91. The change was only statistically significant in Norway. Most deaths occurred among men, with women accounting for 16–23 %. The median age at the time of death among PWUD was 40–43 years in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, while it was about ten years younger in Finland and Iceland (median age 33 years). Opioids were the main cause of PWUD death in all countries. The proportion of opioid deaths amounted to 73–89 % and was lowest in Denmark and highest in Iceland. New psychoactive substances (NPS) were sporadically detected in all countries but were rarely the main intoxicant. The largest diversity of NPS was detected in Finland and Sweden. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-78241ca1e27648228f91a4860f862ace |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2665-9107 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Science International: Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-78241ca1e27648228f91a4860f862ace2025-02-05T04:32:39ZengElsevierForensic Science International: Reports2665-91072025-07-0111100408Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugsPirkko Kriikku0Hilde Marie E. Edvardsen1Gunilla Thelander2Svava Thordardottir3Charlotte Uggerhøj Andersen4Ilkka Ojanperä5Anna K. Jönsson6Joachim Frost7Simon Kjær Hermansen8Gerd J.M. Delaveris9Kirsten Wiese Simonsen10Forensic Toxicology Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 30, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland; Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O.Box 21, Helsinki FI-00014, FinlandDepartment of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, Oslo 0424, NorwayDepartment of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Artillerigatan 12, Linköping SE-587 58, SwedenDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Iceland, Hagi-Hofsvallagata 53, Reykjavik IS-107, IcelandDepartment of Forensic Medicine, University of Aarhus, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Aarhus DK-8200, DenmarkForensic Toxicology Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 30, Helsinki FI-00271, Finland; Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O.Box 21, Helsinki FI-00014, FinlandDepartment of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Artillerigatan 12, Linköping SE-587 58, SwedenDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Olavs Hospital – Trondheim University Hospital, Professor Brochs gate 6, Trondheim N-7030, NorwaySection of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense DK-5320, DenmarkDepartment of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4950, Oslo 0424, NorwaySection of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederik V’s vej 11, 3, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark; Corresponding author.The present study is a survey of fatal poisonings occurring in 2022 among people who use drugs (PWUD) in the Nordic countries. This is the eighth report in a series of studies on PWUD conducted about every fifth year since 1984 by a working group representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.Data on the number of deaths, gender, age, place of death, main intoxicant, and drugs detected in blood were recorded. National data were compared between the Nordic countries as well as with the earlier studies. The death rate (number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) among PWUD in 2022 was highest in Norway (8.03), followed by Iceland (7.20) and Finland (5.95), and lowest in Denmark (5.09). This rate increased in all countries compared to 2017, except in Sweden, which saw a decrease from 6.46 to 5.91. The change was only statistically significant in Norway. Most deaths occurred among men, with women accounting for 16–23 %. The median age at the time of death among PWUD was 40–43 years in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, while it was about ten years younger in Finland and Iceland (median age 33 years). Opioids were the main cause of PWUD death in all countries. The proportion of opioid deaths amounted to 73–89 % and was lowest in Denmark and highest in Iceland. New psychoactive substances (NPS) were sporadically detected in all countries but were rarely the main intoxicant. The largest diversity of NPS was detected in Finland and Sweden.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910725000040Fatal poisoningPeople Who Use Drugs (PWUD)Nordic countryDrug useNew psychoactive substance |
| spellingShingle | Pirkko Kriikku Hilde Marie E. Edvardsen Gunilla Thelander Svava Thordardottir Charlotte Uggerhøj Andersen Ilkka Ojanperä Anna K. Jönsson Joachim Frost Simon Kjær Hermansen Gerd J.M. Delaveris Kirsten Wiese Simonsen Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs Forensic Science International: Reports Fatal poisoning People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) Nordic country Drug use New psychoactive substance |
| title | Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| title_full | Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| title_fullStr | Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| title_short | Fatal poisonings in Nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| title_sort | fatal poisonings in nordic countries in 2022 among people who use drugs |
| topic | Fatal poisoning People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) Nordic country Drug use New psychoactive substance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910725000040 |
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