{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T08:56:05Z","timestamp":1788252965512,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,7]],"date-time":"2024-02-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1707264000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To investigate the individual characteristics, causes and circumstances around deaths in stimulant use, and to examine how individuals who died with stimulants in their body differ from individuals who died with opioids in their body.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study includes individuals who died during the years 2000\u20132018 and underwent a forensic autopsy at Forensic Medicine in Lund, Sk\u00e5ne County, Sweden. All individuals over 18 years of age with stimulants (n = 310), opioids (n = 2,039) or both stimulants and opioids (n = 385) in the body at the time of death, were included. The three groups were assessed regarding gender, age, place of death, BMI, other substances detected in forensic toxicological analysis, organ weights and underlying and contributing causes of death. The data were analysed by frequency and proportion calculations, cross-tabulations and comparisons of medians.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The median age at death of the study population (n = 2,734) was 45.5 years (interquartile range \u262fIQR] 32\u201360 years) and 73.2% were men. The most common cause of death in the stimulant group was suicide (26.8%), higher proportion compared to the opioid group (20.8%) (p = 0.017) and in the polysubstance group accidental poisoning (38.2%), higher proportion compared to the opioid group (18.0%) (p&lt;0.001). Death by transport accidents was significantly associated with the stimulant group (p&lt;0.001) as well as death by other accidents (p = 0.016).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Individuals who died with stimulants in their body died at a higher rate from suicide, transport accidents and other accidents, compared to individuals who died with opioids in their body. This study indicates the need to identify and prevent psychiatric conditions, elevated suicide risk, and risk-taking behaviors among people who use stimulants.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0297838","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,7]],"date-time":"2024-02-07T18:23:50Z","timestamp":1707330230000},"page":"e0297838","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Causes and circumstances of death in stimulant and opioid use\u2014A comparative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9655-1397","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ada","family":"\u00c5hman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carl Johan","family":"Wingren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anders","family":"H\u00e5kansson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0297838.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.18356\/9789210028233","volume-title":"World Drug Report 2023 [Internet]","author":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0297838.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1080\/09595230801923702","article-title":"Major physical and psychological harms of methamphetamine use","volume":"27","author":"S Darke","year":"2008","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Rev"},{"key":"pone.0297838.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1007\/s12012-016-9385-8","article-title":"Exposure to Amphetamines Leads to Development of Amphetamine Type Stimulants Associated Cardiomyopathy (ATSAC).","volume":"17","author":"M. 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