UNDETECTED DRUG-ADDICT FATALITIES

A urine screening in fatalities with an unnatural or unknown cause of death (13-40 years of age) was carried out to evaluate the proportion of undetected drug-related cases. Ten out of 160 fatalities without a hint of drug consumption were classified as drug-related according to the definition of the Bundeskriminalamt; 5 of them committed suicide. Moreover, we found a relevant amount of AIDS deaths from the risk grou p of intravenous drug addicts not registered as drug-related deaths.