UK fatalities associated with caffeine : Annex 3

Abstract

Fatalities due to caffeine are not monitored in the UK. Whilst the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths is aware of caffeine being used as a 'cutting' agent in street drugs and 'legal highs' (see also Cole et al, 2011), there seems to have been only a few possible cases in the UK where caffeine may have had a role in causing or contributing to death. None of these cases were reported to np-SAD as they do not meet our case definition. However, through searches of Medline and the Internet it was possible to identify several recent deaths where caffeine was thought to have possibly played a part. These are dealt with by date of inquest.