The number of deaths among drug users in Ireland due to medical causes has risen by 58 per cent in the space of just six years, according to new statistics.

According to figures published in the Health Research Board’s report, ‘Drug-related Deaths and Deaths among Drug users in Ireland: 2010 Figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI)’, the number of deaths due to medical causes remained stable in 2010.

“However, the numbers have risen steadily over the reporting period, increasing from 55 in 2004 to a total of 131 in both 2009 and 2010,” reads a portion of the report.

The most common medical causes of death in 2010 were cardiac events (34, or 26 per cent) and respiratory problems (16, or 12 per cent).....