Opioid ‘Epidemic’ Increases Mortality Rates in the United States

Deaths due to opioid overdoses that include painkillers, heroin, pill-based medications have jumped 14 percent in just one year in the US.

The increased usage of painkillers and drugs has killed many people last year in the United States than ever before, said health authorities.

Health chiefs warned of a surging opioid "epidemic" that is ripping families and communities apart. More than 47,000 people died last year from drugs, higher than during any previous year on record, said the report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Prescription Opiods Cause Most ED Visits in 2010
Prescriptions opioids, including methadone, caused 67.8 percent of nationwide emergency department visits in 2010, with the highest proportion opioid overdoses occurring in the South.

‘Drug overdoses have killed almost half a million people in the United States from 2000 to 2014 and the rate of opioid overdoses has tripled since 2000.’

Deaths due to opioid overdoses jumped 14 percent in just one year, said the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Six in 10 of all drug overdose deaths were due to opioids, which may include either pill-based medications to dull pain or the street drug heroin. Drug overdose deaths were about 1.5 times more common than car crash fatalities last year, said the report.

"The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming," said CDC Director Tom Frieden.

Alarming Increase in the Number of Deaths due to Heroin Use and Overdose in the US
Abuse or dependence on opioid painkillers was the strongest risk factor for heroin use or dependence. The low cost of heroin is also a draw for addicts.

"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."

Heroin, pills

Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs may Reduce Deaths
Community opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs) — including the use of naloxone for rapid drug reversal — can improve bystander responses to overdose of heroin and related drugs.

The CDC said "two distinct but interrelated trends" are visible in the data: a 15-year rise in prescription painkiller deaths and a more recent surge in heroin use and overdose deaths.

Both drugs work in similar ways, and when addicts are unable to get prescription medications to feed their habit, many turn to heroin, which is often cheap and accessible.

Farr�s Law Forecast Drug Overdose Mortality in the United States
Accidents due to drug overdose has increased markedly over the past two decades and is the leading cause of injury mortality.

Drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone are the most commonly prescribed opioid pain relievers, and "continue to be involved in more overdose deaths than any other opioid type," said the report, noting deaths from these types of drugs increased by nine percent in one year, with 813 more deaths in 2014 than in 2013.

Overdose deaths are up in both men and women, in non-Hispanic whites and blacks, and in adults of nearly all ages, said the report.

"Deaths from heroin increased in 2014, continuing a sharp rise that has seen heroin overdoses triple since 2010," it said.

Illicitly made fentanyl, a short-acting opioid that is sometimes added to heroin and can make it far more potent, is believed to be responsible for thousands of deaths per year.

US health authorities say they are promoting more informed opioid prescribing practices among doctors as a way of curbing the trend, along with improved treatment for this in recovery from addiction. Programs are also in place to increase the use of naloxone, a fast-acting antidote that may revive a person who has recently overdosed.

Source-AFP