Opioid crisis could have resulted in nearly 100,000 more deaths

(UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER)

The actual number of deaths from the opioid crisis could be up to 28% higher than what's been reported, according to new research. In a new study, scientists describe how many death records that classify drug-related deaths don't specify which drugs were involved. Looking at death records between 1999-2016, scientists correlated the records of those whose drug-related deaths were unspecified with other indicators in their medical records, including chronic pain conditions and previous opioid use. All told, 72% of the unclassified drug deaths were likely due to opioid overuse, the scientists found, leading to an additional nearly 100,000 opioid-related deaths. The findings are based on correlative estimates and the discrepancy with actual reported opioid deaths decreased over time, which the authors attribute to officials being more aware of the opioid crisis and recording such deaths more carefully.