Skip to main content

Deaths Due to Opioid Toxicity Up in U.S. During COVID-19

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 11, 2023 -- Deaths due to opioid toxicity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online July 7 in JAMA Network Open.

Tara Gomes, Ph.D., from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues characterized the societal burden of unintended opioid-related deaths in the United States. The proportion of all deaths that were attributable to unintentional opioid toxicity were examined by year and age group. In addition, the total years of life lost (YLL) due to unintentional opioid toxicity was estimated, overall, and by sex and age group.

Data were included for 422,605 unintentional deaths due to opioid toxicity between 2011 and 2021. The researchers found that there was a 289 percent increase in the number of unintentional deaths due to opioid toxicity, from 19,395 to 75,477. From 2011 to 2021, the percentage of all deaths that were attributed to opioid toxicity increased from 1.8 to 4.5 percent. By 2021, opioid toxicity was responsible for 10.2, 21.7, and 21.0 percent of deaths among those aged 15 to 19, 20 to 29, and 30 to 39 years, respectively. Over the study period, the YLL due to opioid toxicity increased 276 percent. YLL plateaued between 2017 and 2019 (7.0 and 7.2 YLL per 1,000) but then increased by 62.9 percent between 2019 and 2021, reaching 11.7 YLL per 1,000.

"The crisis of deaths due to opioid toxicity across the U.S. worsened substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with one in 22 deaths in 2021 attributable to unintentional opioid toxicity," the authors write

One author disclosed past employment with Sanofi Pasteur.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted July 2023

Further Support and Information on COVID-19

Read this next

One in Six Primary Care Patients Report Cannabis Use

FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 -- One in six adult primary care patients report using cannabis, according to a study published online June 5 in JAMA Network Open. Lillian Gelberg...

32 Percent of U.S. Adults Know Someone Who Died of a Drug Overdose

MONDAY, June 3, 2024 -- Thirty-two percent of U.S. adults report knowing someone who died of a drug overdose, according to a study published online May 31 in JAMA Health...

No Decline in Cardiovascular Events Seen With COVID-19 Vaccine After Acute Coronary Syndromes

MONDAY, June 3, 2024 -- Patients who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose after acute coronary syndromes do not have a reduced risk for cardiovascular events...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.