Table HB2: Drug-related deaths by underlying cause of death1 and NHS Board area, 2016
NHS Board areaAll causes of deathUnderlying cause of death (ICD10 codes)
Drug abuse
(F11-F16, F19)
Accidental poisoning
(X40-X44)
Intentional self-poisoning
(X60-X64)
Assault by drugs, etc.
(X85)
Undetermined intent
(Y10-Y14)

Footnote

  1. The coding rules were changed with effect from the start of 2011, as explained in paragraph 2.6 of the commentary. Briefly, 'drug abuse' deaths from 'acute intoxication' were previously counted under 'mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use' (unless they were known to be due to intentional self-harm or assault). They are now counted under the appropriate 'poisoning' category. For example, if the cause of death of a known drug abuser was given as 'adverse effects of heroin' (and it was not intentional self-harm or assault), the underlying cause of death would be coded as follows:
    • up to 2010 - as 'F11 - mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids'.
    • from 2011 - the appropriate 'poisoning' category, such as 'X42 - accidental poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics (hallucinogens) not elsewhere classified'.

National Records of Scotland has estimated what the figures for 2016 would have been, had the data been coded using the old rules.

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(i) New coding rules
Scotland867 32 729 48 0 58
Ayrshire & Arran85 1 82 1 0 1
Borders10 0 8 1 0 1
Dumfries & Galloway17 1 14 1 0 1
Fife45 1 34 3 0 7
Forth Valley50 0 35 7 0 8
Grampian68 3 56 5 0 4
Greater Glasgow & Clyde257 13 233 6 0 5
Highland29 1 18 2 0 8
Lanarkshire113 1 107 1 0 4
Lothian128 8 88 15 0 17
Orkney1 0 0 1 0 0
Shetland1 0 1 0 0 0
Tayside62 3 53 5 0 1
Western Isles1 0 0 0 0 1
(ii) Old coding rules
Scotland867 663 129 48 0 27
Ayrshire & Arran85 73 11 1 0 0
Borders10 8 1 1 0 0
Dumfries & Galloway17 10 5 1 0 1
Fife45 36 4 3 0 2
Forth Valley50 36 4 7 0 3
Grampian68 54 6 5 0 3
Greater Glasgow & Clyde257 203 45 6 0 3
Highland29 14 6 2 0 7
Lanarkshire113 87 21 1 0 4
Lothian128 96 14 15 0 3
Orkney1 0 0 1 0 0
Shetland1 1 0 0 0 0
Tayside62 44 12 5 0 1
Western Isles1 1 0 0 0 0