U.S. deaths linked to opioids increased fourfold in the last 20 years, and the epidemic has had a significant effect on Eastern states, a study published in JAMA Network Open found.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and the University of Toronto in Canada. It's based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census. The researchers suggested the opioid epidemic has evolved in three waves, based on opioid types linked to deaths.
The first wave of opioid-related deaths, from the 1990s until about 2010, was linked to prescription painkillers. The second wave, from 2010 until recently, was associated with a significant increase in heroin-related deaths. The third and current wave, which started around 2013, involves a rapid increase in deaths linked to illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids, including tramadol and fentanyl.
"Although opioid-related mortality has been stereotyped as a rural, low-income phenomenon concentrated among Appalachian or Midwestern states, it has spread rapidly, particularly among the Eastern states," the study said.
The researchers found the highest rates of opioid-related deaths was in eight states: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio.
In Florida and Pennsylvania, the study found opioid-related death rates were doubling every two years. The mortality rate from opioids has increased the fastest in the District of Columbia, more than tripling every year since 2013.
"Treating opioid use disorder should be our top priority to curb the problem," said lead study author Matthew Kiang. "Similarly, we have the ability to counteract the effects of an overdose. These lifesaving drugs should be easily accessible and widely available."