Mortality from opioid overdose was four times higher in the United States in 2014 than in 2000, according to results of a study published in the medical journal Health Affairs.
Researchers at Harvard University in the United States performed a meta-analysis on opioid consumption and induced mortality.
The results of the study showed that in 2000, 0.43% of hospitalizations related to opioid use resulted in death compared to 2.02% in 2014.
The public health crisis
This development is indicative of the public health crisis facing Americans.
This study reveals that white people over 50 with low incomes are the hardest hit by this increase in opioid mortality.
“More than 35,000 people died last year from an overdose of heroin or synthetic opiates,” said Zirui Song, assistant professor in the faculty of medicine at Harvard University and author of the study.
The management of opioid dependence is similar to other chronic illnesses, often requiring medical and psychosocial interventions. Drug Assisted Treatment (DRT), which combines behavior therapy and medication, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of opioid dependence.
But, the majority of people addicted to opioids have not received treatment. In a review of 36,719 records of people hospitalized for opioid dependence, only 16.7% received any form of TAM within 30 days. One of the barriers is the high cost of TAM, which is $ 6,552 per year for methadone with psychosocial treatment, $ 5,980 per year for bi-weekly treatment with psychosocial treatment. buprenorphine and $ 14,112 per year for treatment with naltrexone.
“These results are only a small part of the problem facing the medical profession and public health decision-makers,” said Professor Song, deeming the “resulting situation to be worrying.”
A heavy economic toll
Opioid addiction in the United States affects not only individuals and their families, but public health and the American economy as a whole. In 2015, there were 33,091 opioid overdose deaths (prescription opioids and heroin). People addicted to opioids also report a significantly lower quality of life. This dependence is costly for employers with an estimated $ 12 billion annually estimated in lost productivity.
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