Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Boshell Diabetes Building 8th Floor 1808 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
Division of Laboratory Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
Harm Reduct J. 2024 Feb 20;21(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s12954-024-00959-2.
Xylazine is a dangerous veterinary sedative found mainly in illicit fentanyl in the Northeast and Midwest. Its role in the Deep South overdose crisis is not well-characterized.
We conducted a retrospective review of autopsy data in Jefferson County, Alabama to identify trends in xylazine prevalence among people who fatally overdosed from June 2019 through June 2023.
165 decedents met inclusion criteria. While the first identified xylazine-associated overdose was in June 2019, xylazine has become consistently prevalent since January 2021. All cases of xylazine-associated fatal overdoses were accompanied by fentanyl, and most (75.4%) involved poly-drug stimulant use. The average age was 42.2, and most decedents were white (58.8%) and male (68.5%). Overall, 18.2% of people were unhoused at the time of death.
Xylazine is prevalent in the Deep South. Efforts to promote harm reduction, publicly viewable drug supply trends, and legalization of drug checking and syringe service programs should be prioritized.
苯环己哌啶（Xylazine）是一种危险的兽医镇静剂，主要存在于东北部和中西部的非法芬太尼中。其在南部深处过量危机中的作用尚未得到充分描述。
我们对阿拉巴马州杰斐逊县的尸检数据进行了回顾性分析，以确定 2019 年 6 月至 2023 年 6 月期间致命过量服用者中苯环己哌啶流行趋势。
165 名死者符合纳入标准。虽然首次发现的与苯环己哌啶相关的过量用药发生在 2019 年 6 月，但自 2021 年 1 月以来，苯环己哌啶的使用一直普遍存在。所有与苯环己哌啶相关的致命过量用药都伴有芬太尼，大多数（75.4%）涉及多药兴奋剂的使用。平均年龄为 42.2 岁，大多数死者为白人（58.8%）和男性（68.5%）。总体而言，18.2%的死者在死亡时无家可归。
苯环己哌啶在南部深处地区普遍存在。应优先考虑促进减少伤害、公开可见的毒品供应趋势，以及毒品检测和注射器服务项目的合法化。
