Drug-related mortality: methods and trends.

Abstract

Drug-related deaths attract widespread concern and public interest and this is reflected in the number of queries ONS receives on this topic. This article sets out the processes involved in the collection and compilation of data on drug-related deaths in England and Wales to serve as a point of reference for users of ONS mortality data. It also documents recent trends in drug-related deaths, revealing considerable variation in mortality by age, sex and region.