Abstract
This chapter summarises the mortality (cohort) studies among drug users carried out hitherto in the Czech Republic and related public health implications. Drug users in the Czech Republic show a higher mortality rate in comparison to their peers in the general population.
The available studies suggest that their relative risk of death is at least 10 times higher than is the case for the comparable general population age group. Women and very young adults show the highest risk, given the respective low mortality rates for these demographic groups in the general population.
The most common causes of death in the case of drug users (in approximately 75% of cases) include external (violent) causes of death and intoxication. Proportionally, the highest risk of death occurs shortly after the onset of (problem) drug use, which is usually at a very early age.