Heroin most common substance found in drug/medication deaths in under 30-year-olds

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office has recently released its 2010 statistics, which have revealed a disturbing trend in drug and medication-related deaths.

The statistics are included in the Medical Examiner’s annual report, which also provides insight into the work of the office, from response to the initial investigation, to notifying next of kin, and performing autopsies and toxicology tests.

It also highlights the office’s contributions to local brain and SIDS research, its assistance with organ and tissue donation, and its contribution to regional committees such as the domestic violence fatality review team.

The medical examiner’s office has used deaths that occurred in 2010 as a way to track trends, and has discovered an increasing number of deaths caused by accidental falls, the growing prominence of heroin deaths among young people, and a decline in motor vehicle accidents that coincides with the rise in gas prices.

In 2010, 10,101 deaths were reported to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office. Jurisdiction was waived on 73 percent of these (7,381), with 18 percent (1,851) receiving autopsies and nine percent (867) having external examinations performed. Out of the total investigations, 45 percent of them were for unintentional (accidental) manners of death, followed by natural causes (36 percent), suicides (14 percent) and homicides (three percent). The manner of death was undetermined for two percent of deaths for which investigations were performed.

According to the report, the leading cause of death remained cardiovascular disease, and heroin was the most common substance found in drug/medication deaths of those under the age of 30. In contrast motor vehicle deaths have shown a marked decrease since 2009 and the number of homicides is the lowest in 20 years.

A steady increase in drug/medication related deaths was seen over the last five or six years, the main drivers being narcotics (opiates and their derivatives), hypnotics and sedatives. This included a spike in deaths caused either by heroin and/or methamphetamine, and a continued rise in prescription medications.

Heroin continued its third year of playing an increasing role in deaths – particularly of people under 25, including six in their teens in 2010. In fact, heroin was the number one cause of drug/medication related deaths for those under 30 years of age.

“This included seven teenage deaths, one of which was due to heroin withdrawals,” said Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas. “In this age group, that is more than the last ten years combined.”

Methamphetamine, which was still the number one cause of drug/medication related deaths for the population as a whole, saw a spike back up to 2005 levels this year, and is the number one cause in those between 40 and 60 years of age.

“In other cases – such as motor vehicle fatalities – although the crash may have been made more likely to occur because of the intoxication, by convention [the medical examiner’s office] did not include intoxications as part of the cause of death in these circumstances. The deaths were due to the physical injuries,” the report stated.

Since the sharp increase in deaths related to oxycodone in 2008, the number of deaths from that drug has remained relatively stable and was surpassed by the number of methadone deaths in 2010.

Cocaine remains low in frequency since its drop in 2008 compared to methamphetamine and heroin deaths.

To view the report, go to

http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/me.

To comment on this story online, visit http://www.thevillagenews.com.