Opioid poisonings skyrocket in American youths
A recent study by JAMA Pediatrics urges for greater control of opioids as the rates of poisonings have doubled in children and adolescents. Researchers analyzed 13,052 hospital admissions for opioid poisoning, finding the rate of hospitalizations of children jumped from 1.4 to 3.71 per 100,000, a 165 percent increase. Further analysis found that the rate nearly tripled in teens 15 to 19 years old, from 3.7 to 10.2 per 100,000.
“The current public health crisis caused by prescription opioids is a systemic issue that affects individuals across the age spectrum,” according to the study. “Our research, however, suggests that poisonings by prescription and illicit opioids are likely to remain a persistent and growing problem in the young unless greater attention is directed toward the pediatric community, who make up nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population.”
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Cara joined TriMed Media in 2016 and is currently a Senior Writer for Clinical Innovation & Technology. Originating from Detroit, Michigan, she holds a Bachelors in Health Communications from Grand Valley State University.