Epidemiologic Investigation of the Elderly Deaths Caused by Narcotic and Psychedelic Drug Abuse Complications Referred to the Legal Medicine Organization of Tehran, Iran During 2013 and 2014
Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment June 1, 2019 S. H. Hashemi Nazari, M. Ghadirzadeh, Z. Fotokian et al.
From 2013 to 2014 in Tehran, Iran, 227 elderly people (age 60 or older) died from narcotic or psychedelic drug abuse, with 89.4% being male. The incidence of such deaths was about 2.2 per 100,000 in 2013 and 1.9 per 100,000 in 2014, with rates higher among men than women. Opium was the most common drug involved, used by 55.5% of the deceased. The average age at death was about 67 years, and the average age of first drug use was about 40 years. Most deceased were married, had their own home, and had low education levels. Factors such as low education, male gender, living in a large city, and being retired or unemployed may contribute to drug addiction risk in the elderly.