Opioids were involved in one out of every 65 deaths in the U.S. in 2016. For younger adults, that number jumped to one in five deaths, a study published in JAMA Network Open found.
Research was gathered data from the CDC's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database, which tracks U.S. mortality data and causes of death. To determine how many deaths involved opioids, researchers isolated the 335,123 opioid-related deaths recorded between 2001 and 2016. They then sorted the deaths according to age groups and years.
Four study insights:
1. The study found opioids were involved in 28,496 deaths in 2016. Over 8,400 of these deaths were among adults between the ages of 25 and 34, meaning about 20 percent of all deaths in this age group in 2016 involved opioids.
2. Among Americans ages 15-24, the report found the nearly 3,000 opioid-related deaths recorded in 2016 accounted for 12.4 percent of deaths in the group.
3. Among adults ages 35-44 the report found about 6,700 opioid-related deaths, compared to more than 5,600 among adults 45-54; more than 3,800 among adults 55-64; and roughly 800 among adults 65-plus. Regardless of age group, the study said opioids were involved in 1.5 percent of all deaths in 2016.
4. "Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous and growing public health burden across the United States," the study authors concluded. "These trends highlight a need for tailored programs and policies."