Aim: We aimed to compare the fatal drug overdose rates in Iran in 2006 and 2011.
Methods: This analysis was performed based on data on fatal drug overdose cases from the Iranian death registration system. The crude and adjusted rates per 100,000 populations for geographical regions stratified by gender and age groups were calculated using the 2006 and 2011 census of Iranian population. Annual percentage change was calculated to examine annual changes of fatal drug overdose rates across different regions.
Results: The overall age-adjusted rate of fatal drug overdose decreased from 3.62 in 2006 to 2.77 in 2011. A substantial difference in the distribution of fatal drug overdoses was found across geographical regions by gender and age groups.
Conclusion: Rates of fatal drug overdose were higher among Iranian men and in both younger and older age groups which call for scaling up harm reduction and increasing access to gender- and age-specific substance use treatment services.
Keywords: Drug-related deaths; Iran; Substance use disorders.
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