The United States experienced a 22% decrease in prescription-opioid overdose-related emergency department (ED) visits among children aged 17 and under from 2008 to 2019. However, there was an increase at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported in a recent study. The study also highlighted that rates of pediatric opioid overdoses remain elevated in many demographics.
The US saw a 22% decline in rates of prescription-opioid overdose related emergency department (ED) visits in children 17 and younger between 2008 and 2019, but an uptick in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published this week in the open-accesA study published in the journal PLOS ONE by Henry Xiang of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, US, and colleagues, discusses the high rates of pediatric opioid overdoses in many populations. The authors emphasize that while opioid overdose has been identified as a public health emergency in the United States, much of the attention has been on adults. The researchers conducted a new study analyzing overdoses in children using data from 2008 to 2020 from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. This database provides anonymous information on emergency department visits across the country. According to the data presented , there was a 22% decrease in opioid overdoses among individuals aged 0-17 from 2008 to 2019, followed by a 12% increase in 2020. The rise in overdoses was primarily driven by an increase among males, adolescents aged 12 to 17, and those residing in the West and Midwest regions. It was observed that the highest rates of overdoses occurred in females aged 0 to 1 and 12 to 17, as well as in urban teaching hospital emergency departments.
The authors of the article suggest that efforts to combat opioid overdoses should place a greater emphasis on young children and adolescents. They also propose further research to investigate the impact of the latter stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opioid epidemic.ic.
According to the authors, there has been a decreasing trend in prescription opioid overdose emergency department visits for children in the United States over the past decade. This suggests that a variety of interventions and campaigns have been effective. However, children aged 0-1 years and 12-17 years still face a significant risk of prescription opioid overdose.
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