Drug poisonings is a continuous public health problem in Russia and worldwide.

The objective of the study was to provide characteristics of lethal drug poisonings in a northern Russian region.

The data on deaths from drug poisoning that occurred between 2018 and September 2021, systematically collected by the Regional Center on the Organization of the Narcological and Psychiatric service of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia, was analyzed.

Among 220 cases of fatal drug poisoning the overwhelming majority (90.4%) occurred among males. The number of cases increased annually from 27 in 2018 to 71 in 2020. The average age of death increased from 33.6 years in 2018 to 38.2 years in 2021. Over two thirds of deceased (70.9%) had complete secondary or vocational secondary level of education, almost one third (30.0%) were skilled workers, and slightly less than half (44.1%) were unemployed. The most common causes of death were methadone poisoning (34.5%), poisoning with other opioids (21.8%), other synthetic drugs (17.3%), other unspecified drugs (11.8%), and psychostimulants (10.0%). Alcohol intoxication was identified as a concomitant cause of death in every fourth case (26.0%), of which 98% were among males. Most often, alcohol was present in the blood at a concentration of 120 mg/ml and above. Every fourth deceased (23.6%) was registered with narcology health service for drug addiction.

Fatal poisonings with narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is a growing public health problem in a northern industrial region of Russia, which affects predominantly working-age males and requires comprehensive multisectoral response.

No significant relationships.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic influences health care facilities world-wide. The flow rate, type, and severity of cases presented to emergency departments varied during the pandemic in comparison to the past years. However, this change has not been well-described among the cases of hospital admission due to toxic exposure.

Recognition of the pattern of toxic exposure among the cases refereed to Tanta Poison Control Center (TPCC; Tanta, Egypt) during the past five years, and furthermore, exploration of the impact of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the pattern of presented cases.

The current study is a five-year retrospective, comparative cross-sectional study carried out among acutely intoxicated patients admitted to TPCC during the spring months (March through May) of 2016-2020. A total of 1,916 patients with complete medical records were recruited. The type and manner of toxic exposure, demographic, clinical data, and outcomes were analyzed.

The current study noted that there were delays in time from toxic exposure to emergency services during the lockdown period. This was reflected in significant lower recovery rates (884.8/1,000 population; z = −3.0) and higher death rates (49.4/1,000 population; z = 2.1) despite the marked decrease in the total number of hospital admissions in comparison to the past four years. The lockdown period showed significantly higher phosphides (z = 3.5; χ2 = 34.295; P <.001) and antipsychotics exposure (z = 3.6; χ2 = 21.494; P <.001) than the previous years. However, predominance of female exposure and intentional self-poisoning was maintained over the past five years, including the lockdown.

COVID-19-associated lockdown greatly reformed the usual intoxication pattern of the cases admitted to emergency room. Also, it played a role in delaying time of hospital arrival, which was reflected as lower recovery rates and higher death rates.