Titre : | Suspected and confirmed fatalities associated with mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone, "meow meow") in the United Kingdom (2012) |
Auteurs : | F. SCHIFANO ; J. CORKERY ; A. H. GHODSE |
Type de document : | Article : Périodique |
Dans : | Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (Vol.32, n°5, October 2012) |
Article en page(s) : | 710-714 |
Langues: | Anglais |
Discipline : | EPI (Epidémiologie / Epidemiology) |
Mots-clés : |
Thésaurus géographique ROYAUME-UNIThésaurus mots-clés MEPHEDRONE ; MORTALITE ; CATHINONES ; TOXICOLOGIE |
Résumé : |
BACKGROUND: International media have been reporting about fatalities allegedly related to mephedrone, a popular recreational stimulant, but now a proportion of them have been confirmed. We aimed here at analyzing information relating to the circumstances of mephedrone-related deaths in the United Kingdom.
METHODS: Descriptive analysis of information was mainly extracted from the UK National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths database. With an average annual response rate of 95%, UK National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths receives information from coroners on drug-related deaths among both addicts and nonaddicts in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. RESULTS: So far, 128 alleged mephedrone-associated fatalities have been reported; mephedrone was identified at postmortem in 90 cases; inquests have been concluded in 69 cases, 62 of which are analyzed here. Typical mephedrone victims were young (mean age, 28.8 years), male, and with a previous history of drug misuse. There was a notable number (18 cases [29%], 11 being from hanging) of deaths involving self-harm. Mephedrone alone was identified at postmortem on 8 occasions (13% of the inquests' sample). CONCLUSIONS: Present mortality data may suggest a significant level of caution when ingesting mephedrone. Limitations include an inability to determine the exact extent of risks associated with mephedrone consumption. |
Domaine : | Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs |
Refs biblio. : | 34 |
Affiliation : | School of Pharmacy, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK |
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