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Prescribing patterns for analgesics in relation to underprivileged area (UPA) score, mortality and suicide in 33 municipalities in the province of Skane, southern Sweden

Malmstrom, M ; Sundquist, Jan LU ; Ekedahl, A and Johansson, S E (1999) In Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 34(5). p.259-264
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although it is well known that analgesics contribute to suicide, there is little knowledge about how much of the mortality and suicide can be explained by socioeconomic deprivation or by sales of analgesics. METHODS: This ecological study analyses the relationships between the sales (defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day) of dextropropoxyphene, dextropropoxyphene combinations, paracetamol, codeine and paracetamol combinations, and other codeine combinations and the Swedish UPA (underprivileged area) score, mortality and suicide rates in 33 municipalities in Skane in 1987 and 1994 for people aged 20-64 years. The association of each of the subgroups of analgesics with all-cause mortality, and with standardised... (More)
BACKGROUND: Although it is well known that analgesics contribute to suicide, there is little knowledge about how much of the mortality and suicide can be explained by socioeconomic deprivation or by sales of analgesics. METHODS: This ecological study analyses the relationships between the sales (defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day) of dextropropoxyphene, dextropropoxyphene combinations, paracetamol, codeine and paracetamol combinations, and other codeine combinations and the Swedish UPA (underprivileged area) score, mortality and suicide rates in 33 municipalities in Skane in 1987 and 1994 for people aged 20-64 years. The association of each of the subgroups of analgesics with all-cause mortality, and with standardised mortality rates for suicide, adjusted for UPA score, was investigated by using weighted (by population size) regression analysis. RESULTS: In 1994 there was a moderate to strong significant correlation between sales of analgesics and UPA scores, mortality and suicide (r = 0.49-0.78). Although UPA score explained 68.9% and 67.4% respectively of the variance between the analgesics and all-cause mortality and suicide, codeine and paracetamol combinations explained a further 10.1% of the variance in suicide. Dextropropoxyphene and codeine and paracetamol combinations explained an additional 3.8% and 2.9% respectively of the variance in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Local prescription rates for analgesics were associated with mortality and suicide, when adjusted for socioeconomic deprivation defined as UPA score. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
volume
34
issue
5
pages
259 - 264
publisher
Steinkopff
external identifiers
  • scopus:0032992474
ISSN
0933-7954
DOI
10.1007/s001270050142
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Community Medicine (013241810), Psychiatry/Primary Care/Public Health (013240500)
id
e6e1d76c-cf81-4ff1-95c2-195da915071e (old id 1296595)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:21:28
date last changed
2022-01-27 02:37:36
@article{e6e1d76c-cf81-4ff1-95c2-195da915071e,
  abstract     = {{BACKGROUND: Although it is well known that analgesics contribute to suicide, there is little knowledge about how much of the mortality and suicide can be explained by socioeconomic deprivation or by sales of analgesics. METHODS: This ecological study analyses the relationships between the sales (defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day) of dextropropoxyphene, dextropropoxyphene combinations, paracetamol, codeine and paracetamol combinations, and other codeine combinations and the Swedish UPA (underprivileged area) score, mortality and suicide rates in 33 municipalities in Skane in 1987 and 1994 for people aged 20-64 years. The association of each of the subgroups of analgesics with all-cause mortality, and with standardised mortality rates for suicide, adjusted for UPA score, was investigated by using weighted (by population size) regression analysis. RESULTS: In 1994 there was a moderate to strong significant correlation between sales of analgesics and UPA scores, mortality and suicide (r = 0.49-0.78). Although UPA score explained 68.9% and 67.4% respectively of the variance between the analgesics and all-cause mortality and suicide, codeine and paracetamol combinations explained a further 10.1% of the variance in suicide. Dextropropoxyphene and codeine and paracetamol combinations explained an additional 3.8% and 2.9% respectively of the variance in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Local prescription rates for analgesics were associated with mortality and suicide, when adjusted for socioeconomic deprivation defined as UPA score.}},
  author       = {{Malmstrom, M and Sundquist, Jan and Ekedahl, A and Johansson, S E}},
  issn         = {{0933-7954}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{259--264}},
  publisher    = {{Steinkopff}},
  series       = {{Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology}},
  title        = {{Prescribing patterns for analgesics in relation to underprivileged area (UPA) score, mortality and suicide in 33 municipalities in the province of Skane, southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s001270050142}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s001270050142}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{1999}},
}