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Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

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UNITED KINGDOM VSA-RELATED MORTALITY DATA<br />

Almost all the data <strong>on</strong> VSA in the United Kingdom come from mortality<br />

statistics (Taylor et al. 1993). There has been an increase from at least 2<br />

deaths in 1971 to 122 in 1991, the last year for which data are available<br />

(figure 3). The highest number recorded in any <strong>on</strong>e year was 151 in<br />

1990. This represents an average annual increase <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 5.4 percent from<br />

1983 to 1991. Data <strong>on</strong> 1,237 VSA-related deaths occurring from 1971 to<br />

1991 have been compiled in the United Kingdom.<br />

FIGURE 3. United Kingdom VSA-relafed deaths: Deaths by year,<br />

1971-1991 (N=1,237).<br />

Age at Death<br />

The most comm<strong>on</strong> age at death by VSA is 15 or 16 years <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> age, with the<br />

youngest recorded at 9 and the oldest at 76 (figure 4). In all, 73.2 percent<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deaths occurred in people who were under 20 years old. The age<br />

distributi<strong>on</strong> is remarkably similar to that associated with the practice all<br />

over the world (see other chapters, this volume).<br />

Sex<br />

Eighty-eight percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pers<strong>on</strong>s suffering VSA-related deaths are males.<br />

This finding has not changed significantly over the period for which data<br />

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