National rate of Methamphetamine New studies show a significant increase in overdose mortality between 2011 and 2018, especially in non-Hispanic Native American and Alaskan indigenous communities.
Prices have risen for both men and women, but even higher for men. The surge in these deaths underscores the need for culturally coordinated preventive and therapeutic strategies, the study authors said.
“While much attention has been focused on the opioid crisis, the methamphetamine crisis has gained momentum quietly but aggressively, especially among Native Americans and Alaskans who are disproportionately affected by many health conditions. Senior Researcher Nora D. Bolkow, MD, Director of the National Laboratory Substance abuse (NIDA), the National Institutes of Health said in a press release.
Research Published online January 20 JAMA Psychiatry..
Very toxic
Methamphetamine is highly toxic. Its use is associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions and frequently co-occurs with other substance use and psychiatric disorders.
In addition, there are currently no revocation drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Overdose of methamphetamine Or treat methamphetamine use disorders.
However, behavioral therapy is effective in reducing the harm associated with the use of methamphetamine. In addition, in recent clinical trials Naltrexone When Bupropion Patients with methamphetamine use disorders.
In this study, researchers used anonymized public health surveillance data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System file to investigate multiple causes of death.
Researchers used the category of psychostimulants to estimate methamphetamine mortality. The authors state that up to 90% of death certificates involving psychostimulants refer to methamphetamine.
The researchers stratified the 2011-2018 age-adjusted overdose mortality rate by gender and race / ethnicity, limiting the analysis to 25-54 years. About 80% of methamphetamine users are between the ages of 25 and 54.
During the study, methamphetamine-related mortality increased from 1.8 to 10.1 per 100,000 men (mean annual rate of change). [AAPC], 29.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 25.5-32.8; P <.001) and 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 women (AAPC, 28.1; 95% CI, 25.1-31.2; P <.001).
Need for coordinated intervention
For both men and women, non-Hispanic American Indians or Alaskan Native communities had the highest rates. These increased from 5.6 to 26.4 per 100,000 for men and from 3.6 to 15.6 per 100,000 for women.
Native Americans and Alaskans experience social structural disadvantages, but their cultural strengths “can be leveraged to improve the consequences of addiction,” the researchers write.
Non-Hispanic Caucasians had the second highest rate. These increased from 2.2 to 12.6 per 100,000 men (AAPC, 29.8; 95% CI, 24.3-35.4; P <.001) and 1.1 to 6.2 per 100,000 women (AAPC, 29.1; 95% CI, 25.2-33.2; P <.001).
The proportion of Hispanic individuals increased from 1.4 to 6.6 per 100,000 for men and from 0.5 to 2.0 per 100,000 for women. The proportion of non-Hispanic Asians has increased to 3.4 per 100,000 men and 1.1 per 100,000 women. Non-Hispanic black individuals had a low rate. Within each race / ethnic group, the rate was high between men and women.
The authors say that methamphetamine mortality may be underestimated because some overdose death certificates do not report specific drugs involved.
Identifying populations with high methamphetamine overdose is an important step in curbing the underlying methamphetamine crisis, “NIDA research author Bethhan, MD, said in a press release.
“By focusing on the unique needs of the individual and developing culturally coordinated interventions, we can begin to move from a universal approach to a more effective and coordinated intervention.” She said.
This study was sponsored by the National Institute of Health Sciences on Substance Abuse.
JAMA Psychiatry. Published online on January 20, 2021. Overview
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