Report: All of US saw opioid overdose rises

Nowhere in the U.S. was immune to increases in opioid overdoses between 2016 and 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest 'Vital Signs' report.

The report gathered data on opioid overdoses treated in emergency departments across the United States between July 2016 and September 2017. Of the data gathered, 52 jurisdictions in 45 states saw an average increase of 30 percent in opioid-related overdose rates, according to the CDC"s National Syndromic Surveillance Program.

“Research shows that people who have had an overdose are more likely to have another. Emergency department education and post-overdose protocols, including providing naloxone and linking people to treatment, are critical needs,” Alana Vivolo-Kantor, a behavioral scientist in CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a statement.

“Data on opioid overdoses treated in emergency departments can inform timely, strategic, and coordinated response efforts in the community as well,” she continued.

The report also found a large and steady upsurge in emergency department visits for large metropolitan areas with populations of 1 million or more, though cities and towns of all types witnessed increases. Further, while all U.S. regions experienced rises in rates, the Midwest region saw the highest rate increase at 70 percent, and the Southeast saw the lowest at 14 percent, the report noted.

In addition, the report pulled data from CDC’s Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance Program that showed substantial rate increases of 25 percent or higher of opioid overdose emergency department visits for eight of the 16 states examined during the same time frame. Kentucky was the only state that reported a statistically significant decrease of 15 percent,

"The sharp increases and variation across states and counties indicate the need for better coordination to address overdose outbreaks spreading across county and state borders," the report said.

Opioid overdoses were not prejudiced by sex, either: they increased for men by 30 percent and women by 24 percent. Further, adults in the age brackets of 25 to 34, 35 to 54 and 55 and older all saw dramatic increases in opioid overdoses, ranging between 31 and 36 percent.

More than 42,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses in 2016, the highest number on record, according to the CDC.

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