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Drug overdose deaths double from 2000 to 2014, opioids play significant role

Drug overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2000 and deaths involving opioids increased 14% from 2013 to 2014, according to recent findings from the CDC.

Rose A. Rudd, MSPH, of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC, and colleagues analyzed recent multiple cause-of-death mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to assess current trends and characteristics of drug overdose deaths.

The age-adjusted drug overdose death rate has more than doubled since 2000, from 6.2 per 100,000 persons in 2000 to 14.7 per 100,000 persons in 2014.

In 2014, there were 47,055 drug overdose deaths in the United States, indicating a 1-year increase of 6.5%, from 13.8 per 100,000 persons in 2013.

West Virginia (35.5 deaths per 100,000), New Mexico (27.3 per 100,000), New Hampshire (26.2 per 100,000), Kentucky (24.7 per 100,000) and Ohio (24.6 per 100,000) had the highest rates of drug overdose deaths in 2014.

Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia also experienced significant increases in drug overdose deaths from 2013 to 2014.

The age-adjusted rate for drug overdose deaths involving opioids significantly increased from 7.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2013 to 9 deaths per 100,000 in 2014, a 14% increase.

The largest increase in drug overdose death rates from 2013 to 2014 involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (eg, fentanyl and tramadol), nearly doubling from 1 death per 100,000 to 1.8 per 100,000.

Heroin overdose death rates increased by 26% from 2013 to 2014 and have more than tripled since 2010, according to researchers.

Drug overdose death rates involving natural and semisynthetic opioids (eg, morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone) increased from 3.5 per 100,000 in 2013 to 3.8 per 100,000 in 2014, a 9% increase.

Tom Frieden

The findings suggest four prevention methods for overdose deaths, according to the CDC. They include:

• limiting initiation into opioid misuse and addiction by providing health care providers with additional tools and information, including safer prescribing guidelines, to help them make more informed decisions;
• expanding access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment for individuals with opioid use disorders, including Medication-Assisted Treatment;
• expanding access and use of naloxone to protect individuals with opioid use disorder; and
• collaboration between local public health agencies, medical examiners and coroners, and law enforcement to improve detection and response to illicit opioid overdose outbreaks.

“The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming,” Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the CDC, said in a press release. “The opioid epidemic is devastating American families and communities. To curb these trends and save lives, we must help prevent addiction and provide support and treatment to those who suffer from opioid use disorders. This report also shows how important it is that law enforcement intensify efforts to reduce the availability of heroin, illegal fentanyl and other illegal opioids.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.