Nutritional Status of Deceased Illicit Drug Addicts in Stockholm, Sweden--A Longitudinal Medicolegal Study

• NCJ Number: 205143
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2004 Pages: 320-329
• Author(s): Jovan Rajs M.D.; Anna Petersson; Ingemar Thiblin M.D.; Caroline Olsson-Mortlock M.D.; Ake Fredriksson; Staffan Eksborg Ph.D.
• Date Published: March 2004
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether there is a connection between body mass index (BMI) and drug of abuse, HIV status, and unexpected death from heroin administration among deceased illicit drug addicts (IDA) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Over the past decade there has been a noted increase in the prevalence of overweight IDA's in a number of countries, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Simultaneously, several countries have reported nutritional deficits in illicit drug addicts, which have been linked to poor health and lowered quality of life. Despite the health concerns, longitudinal analyses of the nutritional status of IDA’s have not been taken up. The authors performed autopsy investigations, toxicological analyses, and calculations of BMI on 1,180 deceased IDA’s during 1988 through 2000. Additionally, detailed life histories of the IDA’s were obtained through interviews with relatives and others connected to the IDA’s. Results of statistical analyses indicated that there was an increase of the prevalence of overweight subjects among the Stockholm sample from 27.4 percent in 1988 to 45.5 percent in 2000. The percentage of IDA’s with normal BMI decreased from 70.6 percent to 50 percent during the 13-year study period. These figures are compared to the prevalence of overweight subjects in the adult population of France, England, Italy, the United States, and Sweden. The increase in the prevalence of overweight IDA’s in Stockholm corresponds to the prevalence of overweight individuals in the general population of Sweden, the United States, France, and Italy. A positive correlation was noted between BMI and central stimulants, such as cocaine. HIV-positive IDA’s were the most underweight subjects in the sample, particularly the females. Finally, increased BMI did not significantly influence the risk of dying upon heroin administration. Future studies should focus on the causes of increased BMI among IDA’s and its effect on their quality of life. Tables, figures, references