Emergency room visits for suspected opioid overdoses spiked 30 percent nationwide from July 2016 through September 2017 with the most severe problems experienced in the Midwest, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday.
The report compiled from emergency departments in 45 states found overdoses rose 109 percent in Wisconsin, 66 percent in Illinois, 35 percent in Indiana, 28 percent in Ohio and 21 percent in Missouri.
It also found substantial overdose increases among most demographic groups. Among men, it was 30 percent. Among women, it was 24 percent. Incidents climbed 21 percent among people aged 25 to 34. For those aged 35 to 54 it was 26 percent. There was a 32 percent increase among those 55 and older.
A few areas, including Kentucky, noted decreased overdoses. The report said Kentucky’s reduction “might be explained by fluctuations in drug supply and warrant confirmation,” and small decreases in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island could be “related to implementation of interventions including expansion of access to medication-assisted treatment.”
The report said its findings “suggest a worsening of the epidemic into late 2017 in several states, possibly related to the wide variation in the availability and potency of illicit drug products (e.g., fentanyl sold as or mixed into heroin) that increase overdose risk and drive increases in mortality.”
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