Epidemiology of Drug-poisoning Death in Central Cities of Mazandaran, Iran 2011-2016

Background and purpose: Drug-poisoning is amongst major health problems throughout the world. Evidence shows high prevalence of drug-poisoning in Iran. This study investigated the epidemiology of drug-poisoning death in central cities of Mazandaran province (Sari, Qaemshahr, Behshahr, Juybar, and Chhardangeh). Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of all fatality records caused by drug-poisoning over a five-year period (2011-2016) in Sari Department of Forensic Medicine. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. SPSS V21 was applied for data analysis. Results: The cases included 31.1% females and 68.9% males. The majority of people (43.6%) aged 15-30 years. The most prevalent medicine were Aluminium phosphide (65.5%), Opium (24.3%), Ethylic alcohol (5.7%), and Tramadol (4.5%). Conclusion: In this study, a high prevalence of drug toxicity was seen in young individuals, therefore, further investigations on psychological and social problems of young people are needed. Aluminium phosphide was found to be the most common type of drugs since it is found easily. Necessary measurements such as early diagnosis and patient’s participation could decrease the rate of mortality caused by drug poisoning.