Answer Addiction

Tag: opioid use disorder

  • Opioids To Blame For 1 in 5 Young Adult Deaths

    Opioids To Blame For 1 in 5 Young Adult Deaths

    Opioid-related deaths were responsible for 1.7 million lost years of life in 2016, according to a new study.

    In 2016, opioids were involved in 20% of deaths of young Americans ages 24 to 35, according to a new study. 

    The findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER Multiple Cause of Death Online Database, which shows the cause of death, age and sex of people who pass away. Researchers looked at the years between 2001 and 2016. 

    During that time period, deaths that were attributable to opioids increased 292%. In 2016, opioid-related deaths were responsible for 1.7 million lost years of life, according to analysis by the researchers. 

    Despite the fact that there has been a lot of attention given to the effects of opioids on middle-aged Americans, the impact was most profound for younger people. In addition to the high death rates for people in their 20s and 30s, opioids caused 12.4% of deaths of youth aged 15 to 24. 

    “Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous public health burden across the United States,” researchers wrote. “The recent increase in deaths attributable to opioids among those aged 15 to 34 years highlights a need for targeted programs and policies that focus on improved addiction care and harm reduction measures in this high-risk population.”

    The opioid-related death rate for people aged 25-34 nearly quadrupled between 2001 and 2016. 

    “I think that the fact that one out of every five deaths among young adults is from an opioid, if not shocking, should at least create pause for people to realize how huge of an impact this early loss of life is having,” Tara Gomes, an epidemiologist and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, who led the study, told Tonic. 

    Overall, researchers found that opioids were responsible for 1.5% of all deaths in the United States, or about 1 in 65. That means that opioids resulted in more lost years of life in 2016 than high blood pressure, HIV/AIDs and pneumonia. In 2001, just 1 in 255 deaths were attributable to opioids. 

    Men were more likely than woman to die from an opioid overdose, researchers found. In fact, men made up 67.5% of all opioid-related deaths in 2016. 

    While young people had the highest percentage of opioid-related deaths, the sharpest percentage increase was among older Americans. People over 55 made up 18.4% of opioid deaths in 2016. Between 2001 and 2016 the opioid-related death rate for people age 55 to 64 increased 754%; for people age 65 and older it increased 635%. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Sewage Provide Clues On How To Combat Opioid Crisis?

    Can Sewage Provide Clues On How To Combat Opioid Crisis?

    Sewage studies could prove to be more beneficial than hospital data and surveys when it comes to getting a closer look at residents’ drug intake.

    As cities continue searching for ways to combat the opioid crisis, some are turning to sewage for answers. 

    In fact, about six cities have asked Arizona State University to study their sewage for “chemical signatures that may help save lives,” according to Scientific American. 

    Rolf Halden, who is the director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, says sewage is “the information superhighway under your feet.” Since 2003, Halden’s Human Health Observatory has been studying sewage in more than 300 municipalities across the world. 

    In the past, Scientific American notes, the team has searched for anything that can tell them about a community’s health, such as stress hormones, dietary choices, nicotine presence and hazardous chemicals. 

    But now, cities have begun asking for help when it comes to the opioid crisis by searching for evidence of opioid use. Currently, Halden and his team provide about six municipalities with monthly data about residents’ intake of substances such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and other opioids. 

    This could prove more beneficial than hospital data and surveys, as used in the past, since people can’t lie about use through sewage, and it doesn’t take as long to collect. 

    “History has taught us that when you ask people about drug use, you often don’t get a truthful answer,” Halden told Scientific American. But, he says, “sewage doesn’t lie.” 

    When it comes to testing the sewage, researchers put it through what is called liquid chromatography, Scientific American states. In other words, the compounds in the sewage got separated and sorted.

    Researchers then put a solution through a device that can recognize and measure which drugs are present and how much. Researchers take these numbers and establish an estimate of the number of doses per 1,000 people. 

    Because it only takes researchers one or two days to test sewage, the results reflect nearly current patterns of drug use. 

    “If a city shuts down a pill mill—a clandestine operation where medical workers inappropriately prescribe powerful narcotics—or arrests a ring of dealers, it can measure the immediate impact,” Scientific American reports. “If opioids start to disappear from the wastewater, it could be an early indication of success. But if the sewage is suddenly flush with fentanyl, it may indicate that legal users deprived of their prescriptions are seeking street drugs instead.”

    This can be beneficial for various reasons. For example, if a large increase in drugs like fentanyl is observed, it allows first responders to be prepared to give the opioid antidote naloxone, and to make sure they have enough on hand.  

    Another benefit to testing sewage is that it allows officials to determine the impact of drug education programs. 

    According to Scientific American, sewage testing costs about $10,000 per year for cities, but that number can change depending how often testing is done and what is measured for. 

    “Right now people are surprisingly skeptical of what one can measure in wastewater,” Halden told Scientific American. But, he added, “I think this will become a common way of thinking in the future.”

    View the original article at thefix.com