A retrospective review by Eigner and colleagues identified 418 overdose deaths in Allen County, Indiana, from 2008 through 2015. The authors drew on death certificates, coroner records and available toxicology reports. They reported that opioids were the most frequently identified drug class, followed by benzodiazepines.
The denominator changes with the question
Toxicology reports were available for 412 of the 418 cases. The coroner confirmed the other six as overdose deaths. A count of recognized overdose deaths can therefore use a different denominator from a count based on the available laboratory records. A missing report supplies no information about whether a particular compound was detected.
What the figures can establish in a case
When someone cites a drug-frequency figure, ask whether the numerator represents detection, a cause-of-death determination, or both. Then check which cases had testing for that compound. This historical county series describes patterns in those records. An individual causation opinion depends on the actual specimens, analytical findings, and other evidence for that death.
Source
Eigner et al., Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, 2017
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