Heroin-related deaths in regional New South Wales, 1992-96

The coronial files of all 188 heroin-related fatalities that occurred in re gional New South Wales between 1992 and 1996 were inspected, There was a si gnificant increase in fatalities, rising from 23 deaths in 1992 to 53 durin g 1996. The regions in which the most deaths occurred were Wollongong/Illaw arra (43 deaths), Newcastle/Hunter (35) and the far north coast (25). The m ean age of cases was 31.5 years and 83% were male, and there were no signif icant trends in demographic characteristics of cases over the study period. The median blood morphine concentration of cases was 0.39 mg/l (range 0.05 -4.5 mg/l). Alcohol was detected in 50% of cases and benzodiazepines in 29% , There were large regional variations in toxicology results, with median b lood morphine concentrations ranging from 0.25 mg/l among south coast cases to 0.56 mg/l in mid-western New South Wales. Compared to Sydney metropolit an cases, regional cases had a higher median blood morphine concentration, were less likely to have cocaine detected, were more likely to have died in a home environment and to have been born in Australia.