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Abstract
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Drug overdoses are the underlying cause of a small proportion (0.2%) of total deaths among adults aged 65 and over (5,209 of 2,509,396 deaths in 2020), and drug overdose death rates for this age group have increased in the past 2 decades (1,2). Between 2000 and 2020, age-adjusted death rates for adults aged 65 and over increased from 2.7 deaths per 100,000 standard population to 12.3 for men and from 2.3 to 5.8 for women. For men aged 65-74 in 2020, death rates were highest for non-Hispanic Black men (67.3) compared with non-Hispanic White (14.5) and Hispanic (15.1) men. Drug overdose death rates for women aged 65-74 were lower than rates for men, but non-Hispanic Black women (12.0) also had higher rates compared with non-Hispanic White (8.3) and Hispanic (3.4) women. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol) increased by 53% from 2019 to 2020 among adults aged 65 and over.
In 2020, 5,209 drug overdose deaths in adults aged 65 and over were recorded (1). Drug overdose death rates for older adults were lower than for other age groups but have increased in the past 2 decades (1,2). This report presents age-adjusted trends in drug overdose death rates, including trends in the type of opioid drug involved, for adults aged 65 and over for 2000-2020 using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Age- and sex-specific death rates for adults aged 65-74 and 75 and over are shown by race and Hispanic origin for 2019 and 2020.
Key findings Data from the National Vital Statistics System
- Between 2000 and 2020, age-adjusted rates of drug overdose deaths for adults aged 65 and over increased from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 standard population.
- For men aged 65-74 and 75 and over, rates of drug overdose deaths were higher among non-Hispanic Black men compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White men.
- For women aged 65-74, drug overdose death rates were higher for non-Hispanic Black women compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women, but for women aged 75 and over, non-Hispanic White women had the highest rates.
- The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (such as fentanyl) for adults aged 65 and over increased by 53% between 2019 (1.9) and 2020 (2.9).
Drug overdoses are the underlying cause of a small proportion (0.2%) of total deaths among adults aged 65 and over (5,209 of 2,509,396 deaths in 2020), and drug overdose death rates for this age group have increased in the past 2 decades (1,2). Between 2000 and 2020, age-adjusted death rates for adults aged 65 and over increased from 2.7 deaths per 100,000 standard population to 12.3 for men and from 2.3 to 5.8 for women. For men aged 65-74 in 2020, death rates were highest for non-Hispanic Black men (67.3) compared with non-Hispanic White (14.5) and Hispanic (15.1) men. Drug overdose death rates for women aged 65-74 were lower than rates for men, but non-Hispanic Black women (12.0) also had higher rates compared with non-Hispanic White (8.3) and Hispanic (3.4) women. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol) increased by 53% from 2019 to 2020 among adults aged 65 and over. High death rates of drug overdose among working-age adults have been widely documented (2-5). Recently, increasing drug overdose death rates among older adults have also been noted and large racial disparities have been identified, especially among men (6,7). This report describes sex, age, and race and Hispanic-origin differences in drug overdose death rates within the age 65 and over population and demonstrates subgroup disparities
Language: en |