Annual drug overdose deaths have fallen in the US

2019 ◽  
Vol 243 (3240) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Chelsea Whyte
Keyword(s):  
Drug Overdose ◽  
The Us ◽  
Overdose Deaths

scholarly journals Sharp Increases in Drug Overdose Deaths Among High-School-Age Adolescents During the US COVID-19 Epidemic and Illicit Fentanyl Crisis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Friedman ◽  
Morgan Godvin ◽  
Chelsea Shover ◽  
Joseph P. Gone ◽  
Helena Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Alaska Native ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Drug Supply ◽  
The Us ◽  
Pediatric Overdose ◽  
Overdose Deaths ◽  
Latinx Adolescents

Although overdose deaths in the US have increased exponentially for the past four decades, these shifts have historically affected adults, while pediatric overdose rates remained stable. However, this may be changing, given that the illicit drug supply has become increasingly hazardous in recent years, as illicitly-manufactured-fentanyls (IMFs) and other synthetic opioid and benzodiazepine analogues are increasingly sold as heroin and counterfeit prescription pills. We calculated drug overdose deaths per 100,000 population by 5-year age groups for the 2010-2021 period. For high-school-aged adolescents (age 14-18), we stratified rates by race/ethnicity, census region, associated substance, and ICD-10 cause-of-death intent categories. Adolescent overdose mortality saw a sharp increase between 2019 and 2020, from 2.35 per 100,000 to 4.58 per 100,000, representing a 94.3% increase, the largest percent increase of any 5-year age group. American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) adolescents, Latinx adolescents, and adolescents in the West census region were disproportionately affected, overdose death rates 2.15, 1.31, and 1.68 times the national average in 2021, respectively. Trends were driven by fatalities involving IMFs, which nearly tripled from 2019 to 2020, and represented 76.6% of adolescent overdose deaths in 2021. Sharp increases in adolescent drug overdose deaths, despite flat or declining drug use rates, and no increase in deaths from alcohol or most drugs, reinforce that rising fatalities are likely driven by an increasingly toxic, IMF-contaminated drug supply. Rising racial disparities in overdose require a prevention approach that ameliorates deep-seated social and economic inequalities as well as poor access to mental and physical healthcare and social services for AIAN and Latinx adolescents. Our results should also be understood in the context of rising rates of adolescent mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the urgent need for accurate, harm-reduction-oriented education for early adolescents about the risks of an evolving drug supply, as well as greater access to naloxone and services that check drugs for the presence of IMFs.

scholarly journals Confronting Two Crises: The COVID-19 Pandemic, the Opioid Epidemic, and the Industrial Hygienist

2021 ◽  
pp. 104829112110295
Author(s):  
Jonathan Rosen ◽  
Peter Harnett
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Industrial Hygiene ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Opioid Misuse ◽  
Opioid Crisis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overdose Deaths ◽  
Industrial Hygienist

This article was originally written for and published in the January 2021 issue of The Synergist, a monthly publication of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. The article addresses the convergence of the COVID-19 and opioid crises, the impact of the opioid crisis on the workplace and workers, and the role that industrial hygienists can play in developing workplace programs to prevent and respond to opioid misuse. While the article is specifically written for industrial hygienists, the review and recommendations will be useful to others who are developing workplace opioid prevention programs. Note that the data presented in this article were current as of January 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest available data are for the twelve-month period ending October 2020 and include 88,990 total overdose deaths and 91,862 predicted, when reporting is completed. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm (accessed on 15 June 2021).

scholarly journals US drug overdose deaths: a global challenge

The Lancet ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 387 (10017) ◽  
pp. 404 ◽  
Author(s):  
The Lancet
Keyword(s):  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Overdose Deaths

Trends in U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 (5) ◽  
pp. 355
Author(s):  
Mary E. Cox ◽  
Nicole Dzialowy ◽  
Lillie Armstrong ◽  
Scott Proescholdbell
Keyword(s):  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Overdose Deaths

scholarly journals The Economic Underpinnings of the Drug Epidemic

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Seltzer
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
State Level ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Drug Deaths ◽  
Overdose Deaths ◽  
The U.S

U.S. labor markets have experienced transformative change over the past half century. Spurred on by global economic change, robotization, and the decline of labor unions, state labor markets have shifted away from an occupational regime dominated by the production of goods to one characterized by the provision of services. Prior studies have proposed that deterioration of employment opportunities may be associated with the rise of substance use disorders and drug overdose deaths, yet no clear link between changes in labor market dynamics in the U.S. manufacturing sector and drug overdose deaths has been established. Using restricted-use vital registration records between 1999-2017 that comprise over 700,000 drug deaths, I test two questions. First, what is the association between manufacturing decline and drug and opioid overdose mortality rates? Second, how much of the increase in these drug-related outcomes can be accounted for by manufacturing decline? The findings provide strong evidence that restructuring of the U.S. labor market has played an important upstream role in the current drug crisis. Up to 77,000 overdose deaths for men and up to 40,000 overdose deaths for women are attributable to the decline of state-level manufacturing over this nearly two-decade period. These results persist in models that adjust for other social, economic, and policy trends changing at the same time, including the supply of prescription opioids. Critically, the findings signal the value of policy interventions that aim to reduce persistent economic precarity experienced by individuals and communities, especially the economic strain placed upon the middle class.

scholarly journals Drug Overdose Trends among Black Indiana Residents: 2013-2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raven Helmick
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Rate Increase ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Racial Inequalities ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Overdose Mortality ◽  
Overdose Deaths

ObjectiveTo understand trends in race-specific mortality rates between blacks and whites to discover any racial inequalities that might exist for drug overdose deaths. To delve into the types of drugs that are prominently involved in black drug overdose deaths from 2013-2017 in the state of Indiana.IntroductionBlack Hoosiers, the largest minority population in Indiana, make up almost 10% of the state’s population, and accounted for 8% of the total resident drug overdose deaths from 2013-2017 compared to whites at 91%. However, a closer look at race-specific mortality rates might reveal racial inequalities. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to analyze drug overdose morality rates among white and black Hoosiers to discover possible racial inequalities and to discover trends in drug involvement in overdose deaths among blacks.MethodsDrug overdose deaths that occurred in Indiana between 2013 and 2017 were identified using the underlying and contributing cause of death ICD-10 codes and abstracted from the Indiana State Department of Health’s annual finalized mortality dataset. Race-specific drug overdose death rates were calculated and compared among racial groups. Drug overdose deaths in blacks were examined for trends over time and by the types of drugs involved.ResultsBetween 2013 and 2017, drug overdose mortality rates for whites increased from 17.05 to 27.28 per 100,000. Blacks saw a higher rate increase during this same time frame: from 10.74 to 30.62 per 100,000, surpassing the mortality rate of whites by the end of 2017. Drug overdose deaths in blacks increased 197% from 2013-2017 and drug specific mortality rate increases were seen across all drug category’s. Opioids, which were involved in 61% of the 2017 drug overdose deaths among blacks, had a rate increase from 3.05 to 18.62 per 100,000 between 2013 and 2017. Drug specific overdose mortality rate increases were also seen for overdoses involving cocaine (1.76 to 10.62 per 100,000), benzodiazepines (0.32 to 3.08 per 100,000), and psychostimulants other than cocaine (0.16 to 1.69 per 100,000) such as amphetamines.ConclusionsWhile white Hoosiers had higher drug overdose mortality rates between 2013 and 2016, black Hoosiers had a greater mortality rate increase and surpassed the mortality rate in whites in 2017. Opioids, the most frequently involved substance in overdose deaths among blacks from 2013-2017, showed increasing rates during this time period. However, increases in drug specific overdose mortality rates for cocaine, benzodiazepines, and psychostimulants other than cocaine also call for public health attention. These results promote the inclusion of minority health experts in drug overdose prevention efforts and issue a call for future prevention efforts to be targeted toward the state’s largest minority population. 

scholarly journals Opioid Epidemic in the United States: Empirical Trends, and A Literature Review of Social Determinants and Epidemiological, Pain Management, and Treatment Patterns

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal K Singh ◽  
Isaac E. Kim, Jr. ◽  
Mehrete Girmay ◽  
Chrisp Perry ◽  
Gem P. Daus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
The Us ◽  
Drug Overdoses ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Overdose Mortality ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Objectives: Dramatic increases in opioid and drug overdose mortality have occurred in the United States (US) over the past two decades. To address this national public health crisis and identify gaps in the literature, we analyzed recent empirical trends in US drug overdose mortality by key social determinants and conducted a selective review of the recent literature on the magnitude of the opioid crisis facing different racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and rural-urban segments of the US population. Methods: We used the 1999-2017 mortality data from the US National Vital Statistics System to analyze trends in drug overdose mortality by race/ethnicity, age, and geographic area. Log-linear regression was used to model mortality trends. Using various key words and their combinations, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar for select peerreviewed journal articles and government reports published on the opioid epidemic between 2010 and 2018. Results: Our original analysis and review indicate marked increases in drug overdose mortality overall and by race/ethnicity and geographic regions, with adolescents and young adults experiencing steep increases in mortality between 1999 and 2017. Our selective search yielded 405 articles, of which 39 publications were selected for detailed review. Suicide mortality from drug overdose among teens aged 12-19 increased consistently between 2009 and 2017, particularly among teen girls. The rise of efficient global supply chains has increased opioid prescription use and undoubtedly contributed to the opioid epidemic. Many other important contributing factors to the epidemic include lack of education and economic opportunities, poor working conditions, and low social capital in disadvantaged communities. Conclusions and Global Health Implications: Our analysis and review indicate substantial disparities in drug overdoses and related mortality, pain management, and treatment outcomes according to social determinants. Increases in drug overdoses and resultant mortality are not only unique to the US, but have also been observed in other industrialized countries. Healthcare systems, community leaders, and policymakers addressing the opioidepidemic should focus on upstream structural factors including education, economic opportunity, social cohesion, racial/ethnic disadvantage, geographic isolation, and life satisfaction. Key words: • Opioids • Drug overdose • Mortality • Pain management • Treatment • Race/Ethnicity • Social determinants • Health disparities Copyright © 2019 Singh et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document