Journal
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
Volume 219, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108484
Keywords
Opioid overdose; Drug mortality; Veterans; Overdose
Categories
Funding
- Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Department of Veterans Affairs
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Research shows that Veterans with a prior nonfatal overdose experience significantly higher mortality rates compared to other Veterans or the general U.S. population. The causes of death related to substance use and mental health were significantly higher than other causes, emphasizing the importance of integrated treatment and substance use services.
Background: For over a decade, there has been a surge in opioid-related morbidity and mortality among Veterans. To better understand the impact of the growing epidemic, it is important to identify the cause-specific mortality rates among Veterans with a prior nonfatal opioid overdose. Methods: We followed 8370 Veterans who received medical care for a nonfatal opioid overdose between 2011 through 2015. Mortality records were linked to clinical records from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). We compared the mortality rates among those with a nonfatal opioid overdose to a 5 % stratified random sample of patients accessing services during the same time period. SMRs were calculated using age-adjusted cause-specific mortality rates for the l U.S. population obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER). Results: The crude mortality for Veterans with a history of a nonfatal overdose was 370.6 per 10,000 person years. Those with a prior nonfatal overdose had a higher risk of substance-related mortality (aHR [adjusted Hazard Ratio] 5.0), including a higher risk of death from drugs (aHR 6.9) and alcohol (aHR 2.7). Similarly, cause-specific mortalities assessed between Veterans and the U.S. population, SMRs were also highest for deaths associated with substances (114.0). Conclusion: Veterans with a prior nonfatal overdose experienced substantially higher mortality rates compared to other Veterans or the general U.S. population. Causes of death related to substance use and mental health were significantly higher than other causes of death, highlighting the importance of integrated treatment and substance use services.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available