Abstract
Background: Approximately 1% of Sweden’s 90,000 annual deaths
are caused by poisoning. In this study we aim to describe this poisoning
population’s characteristics, autopsy frequency, and results of
toxicology testing. Method: A national cohort study based on
Swedish national registers. All deceased patients older than 18 years
with poisoning as the cause of death registered between 1
th January 2000 to 31 th December
2021 were included. Causes of death according to primary ICD-10-code
were analysed along with the substances found in forensic chemistry
testing. Results: There were 27,057 poisonous deaths during the
study periods 2,018,495 total adult deaths. Patients deceased due to
poisoning had a median age of 53 years and 18,838 (70%) were men. A
private home was the most reported location of death (52%). In total
did 23,260 (87%) undergo some sort post-mortem examination. Drugs
(synthetic narcotics, opioids, heroin) caused 12,448 (46%) deaths and
alcohols explained 9,056 cases (33%). Positive toxicological tests were
found in 22,550 (83%) of the subjects. The most common separate
substances were ethanol, zopiclone and, nordazepam. Conclusion:
Poisoning causes 1.3% of Swedish deaths. Men in their fifties are the
most common victims and their death are often cause by synthetic
narcotics, other opioids, or alcohol. The autopsy frequency is lower
than expected for poisonous deaths.