The study by scientists from Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) found that older intravenous-drug users are two to six times more likely to die because of drug use than young users.

For the study, researchers at the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health examined drug-related deaths that occurred in Scotland in 2000 and 2001. They found that the majority of the 332 deaths in 2001 were among older drug users.

"Older and male injecting-drug users were at highest risk of drug-related death," said Professor Sheila Bird of the MRC. "We need to look carefully at the role of modifiable risk factors, such as imprisonment, living or injecting alone, and risk perception -- for example by males versus females."

Bird added that drug-treatment centers should consider paying particular attention to older users.

The study is published in the Sept. 20, 2003 issue of The Lancet.

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