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Relationship between cardiovascular disease pathology and fatal opioid and other sedative overdose : a post-mortem investigation and pilot study
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dc.contributor.author | Arab, Abdulmalik Zuhair | |
dc.contributor.author | Conti, Aldo Alberto | |
dc.contributor.author | Davey, Fleur | |
dc.contributor.author | Khan, Faisel | |
dc.contributor.author | Baldacchino, Alexander Mario | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-11-08T15:30:15Z | |
dc.date.available | 2021-11-08T15:30:15Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2021-11-05 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Arab , A Z , Conti , A A , Davey , F , Khan , F & Baldacchino , A M 2021 , ' Relationship between cardiovascular disease pathology and fatal opioid and other sedative overdose : a post-mortem investigation and pilot study ' , Frontiers in Pharmacology , vol. 12 , 725034 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.725034 , https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.725034 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 1663-9812 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE: 276578902 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE UUID: 494acd40-1820-47f8-8b4d-54ace26bc1ca | |
dc.identifier.other | Scopus: 85119493452 | |
dc.identifier.other | ORCID: /0000-0002-5388-7376/work/102725510 | |
dc.identifier.other | ORCID: /0000-0002-0467-9431/work/102725903 | |
dc.identifier.other | Scopus: 85119493452 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/24284 | |
dc.description.abstract | Introduction: In 2019, Scotland reported the highest number of drug deaths amongst EU countries. Of the 1,264 drug deaths reported in 2019, 94% were related to polysedative use. Studies have proposed a relationship between opioid use and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, the concomitant use of sedatives and opioids has been associated with lethal cardiopulmonary events. However, evidence is still limited for the relationship between polysedative use and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the association between polysedative use and the underlying cardiovascular pathologies in drug deaths. Methods: This study consisted of a post-mortem investigation of 436 drug deaths. Data extracted from post-mortem reports included socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age), cardiovascular pathologies (e.g., atherosclerosis, atheroma, and inflammation), in addition to the presence of opioids (e.g. methadone, heroin) and other substances (e.g., alcohol, benzodiazepine) in the blood of the deceased. Stepwise multiple regression models were employed to identify which substances predicted cardiovascular pathologies. Results: The presence of opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol in the blood of the deceased predicted overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) severity [R2 = 0.33, F (5, 430) = 39.64, p < 0.0001; adjusted R2 = 0.32, f2 = 0.49]. Positive Beta coefficients may indicate an exacerbation of CVD (B = 0.48 95% CI = 0.25, 0.70) due to the presence of opioids in the blood of the deceased. Negative associations may instead indicate a relative protective effect of alcohol (B = −0.2, 95% CI = −0.41, −0.00) and benzodiazepines (B = −0.29, 95% CI = −0.48, −0.09) on CVD. Conclusion: These findings may inform national clinical guidelines on the need to monitor individuals who abuse opioids for presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors pathologies and provide timely interventions to reduce mortality in the population. | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Frontiers in Pharmacology | en |
dc.rights | Copyright © 2021 Arab, Conti, Davey, Khan and Baldacchino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. | en |
dc.subject | CVD (cardiovascular disease) | en |
dc.subject | DD (drug death) | en |
dc.subject | PMR (post-mortem report) | en |
dc.subject | hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) | en |
dc.subject | TNF alpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha) | en |
dc.subject | IL-6 (interleukin 6) | en |
dc.subject | ROS (reactive oxygen species) | en |
dc.subject | RB Pathology | en |
dc.subject | RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry | en |
dc.subject | Pharmacology | en |
dc.subject | Pharmacology (medical) | en |
dc.subject | NDAS | en |
dc.subject | SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being | en |
dc.subject.lcc | RB | en |
dc.subject.lcc | RC0321 | en |
dc.title | Relationship between cardiovascular disease pathology and fatal opioid and other sedative overdose : a post-mortem investigation and pilot study | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.description.version | Publisher PDF | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Medicine | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Centre for Minorities Research (CMR) | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Population and Behavioural Science Division | en |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.725034 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
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