Identifying the changing age distribution of opioid-related mortality with high-frequency data.

Bibliographic Details
Title: Identifying the changing age distribution of opioid-related mortality with high-frequency data.
Authors: Paul, Lauren A.1 (AUTHOR), Li, Ye2,3 (AUTHOR) ye.li@utoronto.ca, Leece, Pamela2,4,5,6 (AUTHOR), Gomes, Tara7,8,9,10 (AUTHOR), Bayoumi, Ahmed M.7,8,10,11,12 (AUTHOR), Herring, Jeremy3 (AUTHOR), Murray, Regan13,14 (AUTHOR), Brown, Patrick7,15 (AUTHOR)
Source: PLoS ONE. 4/20/2022, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p1-16. 16p.
Subject Terms: *AGE distribution, *DEATH rate, *POISSON regression, *MORTALITY, *RANDOM walks, *PANDEMICS
Geographic Terms: ONTARIO
Abstract: Background: Opioid-related mortality continues to rise across North America, and mortality rates have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to provide an updated picture of trends of opioid-related mortality for Ontario, Canada between January 2003 and December 2020, in relation to age and sex. Methods: Using mortality data from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, we applied Bayesian Poisson regression to model age/sex mortality per 100,000 person-years, including random walks to flexibly capture age and time effects. Models were also used to explore how trends might continue into 2022, considering both pre- and post-COVID-19 courses. Results: From 2003 to 2020, there were 11,633 opioid-related deaths in Ontario. A shift in the age distribution of mortality was observed, with the greatest mortality rates now among younger individuals. In 2003, mortality rates reached maximums at 5.5 deaths per 100,000 person-years (95% credible interval: 4.0–7.6) for males around age 44 and 2.2 deaths per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 1.5–3.2) for females around age 51. As of 2020, rates have reached maximums at 67.2 deaths per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 55.3–81.5) for males around age 35 and 16.8 deaths per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 12.8–22.0) for females around age 37. Our models estimate that opioid-related mortality among the younger population will continue to grow, and that current conditions could lead to male mortality rates that are more than quadruple those of pre-pandemic estimations. Conclusions: This analysis may inform a refocusing of public health strategy for reducing rising rates of opioid-related mortality, including effectively reaching both older and younger males, as well as young females, with health and social supports such as treatment and harm reduction measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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ISSN:19326203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265509
Published in:PLoS ONE
Language:English