Drug-Induced Deaths More Common Than Alcohol Related Fatalities

Prescription drug-related deaths are more common than either alcohol-induced or firearm-related deaths, according to a new report.

Researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA) and the US National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (El Paso, TX, USA) evaluated drug-related deaths occurring between 2003 and 2007, assessing data from the US national vital statistics system. Age-adjusted rates were calculated per 100,000 persons based on U.S census populations, with bridged-race categories. The unadjusted rate ratios were calculated to compare 2007 to 2003 rates, and to compare white with nonwhite rates. The rates were not compared by geographic region.

The researchers found that unintentional drug poisoning was the cause of most deaths, followed by suicidal drug poisoning, and drug poisoning of undetermined intent. The highest drug-induced group mortality rates for each year examined, and greatest rate increases, were for non-Hispanic white people, while the lowest group rates overall were found in Asian-Pacific islanders. For males alone, non-Hispanic white or black males had the highest rates. The rates for non-Hispanic white males were 64% higher than for non-Hispanic white females in 2007. For females, American Indians and Alaskan natives had the highest rate for every year except 2006.

The report notes that although most drug-induced deaths in the 1980s and 1990s could be attributed to illicit drugs and the mortality rates were higher for blacks than for whites. That trend, however, reversed beginning in 2002: at that time, prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers and psychotherapeutic drugs, began to be prescribed more widely by physicians. The report was published on January 14, 2011, as part of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"Prescribed drugs eventually supplanted illicit drugs as the leading cause of drug-related overdose deaths,” explained lead author Leonard Paulozzi, MD, of the division of unintentional injury prevention. "Regulations designed to prevent illicit use of prescription drugs need to be strengthened and enforced. Persons who misuse prescription drugs should be identified and receive a referral for substance abuse treatment.”

Related Links:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
US National Center for Injury Prevention and Control