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The burden of premature opioid‐related mortality
Author(s) -
Gomes Tara,
Mamdani Muhammad M.,
Dhalla Irfan A.,
Cornish Stephen,
Paterson J. Michael,
Juurlink David N.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12598
Subject(s) - medicine , opioid , opioid related disorders , opioid epidemic , intensive care medicine , receptor
Background and Aims The burden of premature mortality due to opioid‐related death has not been fully characterized. We calculated temporal trends in the proportion of deaths attributable to opioids and estimated years of potential life lost ( YLL ) due to opioid‐related mortality in O ntario, C anada. Design Cross‐sectional study. Setting O ntario, C anada. Participants Individuals who died of opioid‐related causes between J anuary 1991 and D ecember 2010. Measurements We used the R egistered P ersons D atabase and data abstracted from the O ffice of the C hief C oroner to measure annual rates of opioid‐related mortality. The proportion of all deaths related to opioids was determined by age group in each of 1992, 2001 and 2010. The YLL due to opioid‐related mortality were estimated, applying the life expectancy estimates for the O ntario population. Findings We reviewed 5935 opioid‐related deaths in O ntario between 1991 and 2010. The overall rate of opioid‐related mortality increased by 242% between 1991 (12.2 per 1 000 000 O ntarians) and 2010 (41.6 per 1 000 000 O ntarians; P < 0.0001). Similarly, the annual YLL due to premature opioid‐related death increased threefold, from 7006 years (1.3 years per 1000 population) in 1992 to 21 927 years (3.3 years per 1000 population) in 2010. The proportion of deaths attributable to opioids increased significantly over time within each age group ( P < 0.05). By 2010, nearly one of every eight deaths (12.1%) among individuals aged 25–34 years was opioid‐related. Conclusions Rates of opioid‐related deaths are increasing rapidly in O ntario, C anada, and are concentrated among the young, leading to a substantial burden of disease.