@article{ref1,
title="Causes of death among U.S. Veterans with a prior nonfatal opioid overdose",
journal="Drug and alcohol dependence",
year="2021",
author="Bossarte, Robert M. and Brumage, Michael and Lilly, Christa and Karras, Elizabeth and Warfield, Sara",
volume="219",
number="",
pages="e108484-e108484",
abstract="BACKGROUND: For over a decade, there has been a surge in opioid-related morbidity and mortality among Veterans. To better understand the impact of the growing  epidemic, it is important to identify the cause-specific mortality rates among  Veterans with a prior nonfatal opioid overdose. <br><br>METHODS: We followed 8370 Veterans  who received medical care for a nonfatal opioid overdose between 2011 through  2015.Mortality records were linked to clinical records from the Veterans Health  Administration (VHA). We compared the mortality rates among those with a nonfatal  opioid overdose to a 5 % stratified random sample of patients accessing services  during the same time period. SMRs were calculated using age-adjusted cause-specific  mortality rates for the l U.S. population obtained from the Centers for Disease  Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC  WONDER). <br><br>RESULTS: The crude mortality for Veterans with a history of a nonfatal  overdose was 370.6 per 10,000 person years. Those with a prior nonfatal overdose had  a higher risk of substance-related mortality (aHR [adjusted Hazard Ratio] 5.0),  including a higher risk of death from drugs (aHR 6.9) and alcohol (aHR 2.7). Similarly, cause-specific mortalities assessed between Veterans and the U.S. population, SMRs were also highest for deaths associated with substances (114.0). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Veterans with a prior nonfatal overdose experienced substantially higher  mortality rates compared to other Veterans or the general U.S. POPULATION: Causes of  death related to substance use and mental health were significantly higher than  other causes of death, highlighting the importance of integrated treatment and  substance use services.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0376-8716",
doi="10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108484",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108484"
}