Unnecessary ADR deaths of Canadians with undiagnosed sensitivities* (to 2009)

Posted 3 September 2009 - 10:39am
Per Day Per Week Per Month Per Year Since 1979 Since 1985 Since 1993 Since 2003 Since 2004 Since 2005 Since 2006 Since 2007 Since 2008
Canada 12 84 360 4380 131,400 105,120 70,080 26,280 21,900 17,520 13,140 8,760 4,380
Newfoundland and Labrador 0.18 1.28 5.49 67 2,003 1,603 1,069 401 334 267 200 134 67
Prince Edward Island 0.05 0.35 1.51 18 551 441 294 110 92 74 55 37 18
Nova Scotia 0.34 2.37 10.14 123 3,701 2,961 1,974 740 617 493 370 247 123
New Brunswick 0.27 1.88 8.08 98 2,948 2,358 1,572 590 491 393 295 197 98
Quebec 2.79 19.54 83.76 1019 30,573 24,458 16,305 6,115 5,095 4,076 3,057 2,038 1,019
Ontario 4.66 32.6 139.73 1700 51,000 40,800 27,200 10,200 8,500 6,800 5,100 3,400 1,700
Manitoba 0.44 3.05 13.05 159 4,765 3,812 2,541 953 794 635 477 318 159
Saskatchewan 0.37 2.56 10.98 134 4,008 3,206 2,137 802 668 534 401 267 134
Alberta 1.29 9.04 38.74 471 14,142 11,313 7,542 2,828 2,357 1,886 1,414 943 471
British Columbia 1.58 11.05 47.35 576 17,284 13,827 9,218 3,457 2,881 2,304 1,728 1,152 576
Yukon 0.02 0.11 0.47 6 171 137 91 34 28 23 17 11 6
Northwest Territories 0.02 0.11 0.47 6 171 137 91 34 28 23 17 11 6
Nunavut 0.01 0.08 0.34 4 124 99 66 25 21 17 12 8 4

*These are conservative estimates. Here is how they are derived:

  1. Terence Young (2009) quotes US studies which, when proportioned for Canada, suggest that 20,000 Canadians are killed by adverse drug events every year, roughly half as inpatients. That's 55 per day.
  2. The AAAAI says that 5-10% of ADR's result from allergies.
  3. Allergies are only a portion of sensitivities.
  4. Caress and Steinemann and others, including the US National Academy of Science say that about 15% of the population has sensitivities.
  5. Persons who experience ADR's comprise a group at increased risk of having sensitivities
  6. Health Canada and others decided in the 1980's that, in part due to the reaction of the rest of medicine to the ideas of clinical ecology, sensitivities are hugely under diagnosed.
  7. It is not unreasonable to think that twelve adverse drug reaction deaths per day are Canadians whose sensitivities are undiagnosed, an important portion of the 55 daily Canadian adverse drug event deaths.
  8. These figures do not include the deaths of persons in other high risk groups, such as women in eating disorder clinics, or the suicides of persons whose central nervous system problems are caused or exacerbated by sensitivities that go undiagnosed due to hateful attitudes. For that figure, add a few more Canadian deaths per day.