Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the trend of hospital admissions related to poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics and poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, and antiparkinsonism drugs in England and Wales between April 1999 and April 2020. METHODS: An observational ecological study were conducted using data from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. The rate of hospital admissions with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated by dividing the number of episodes of poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics related admission and poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, and antiparkinsonism drugs-related admission by the mid-year population from the Office for National Statistics. All analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27. RESULTS: The total annual number of hospital admissions for narcotics and psychodysfunctionals poisonings increased by 1.40-fold [from 15.70 (95% CI 15.36-16.04) in 1999 to 37.64 (95% CI 37.15-38.13) in 2020 per 100,000 people, p < 0.01]. However, the overall annual number of poisonings by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs hospital admissions for various reasons decreased by 12.8% [from 33.55 (95% CI 33.05-34.04) in 1999 to 29.26 (95% CI 28.82-29.69) in 2020 per 100,000 persons, p < 0.05]. Poisoning by other opioids (53.2%), heroin (15.1%), and other synthetic narcotics (13.3%) were the most common reasons for narcotic and psychodysfunctional poisoning. While poisoning by benzodiazepines (54.2%) and poisoning: other antiepileptic and sedative-hypnotic drugs (30.7%) were the most common hospital admission reasons for poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, and antiparkinsonism. CONCLUSION: Poisoning by narcotics have increased in England and Wales over the study period, however, poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, and antiparkinsonism drugs in England and Wales were relatively stable during the same period. Future initiatives and awareness programs to prevent harmful use and drug poisoning by narcotics, sedative-hypnotic and other medications are needed.