The US noticed a 22% decline in charges of prescription-opioid overdose associated emergency division (ED) visits in kids 17 and youthful between 2008 and 2019, however an uptick within the early a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a brand new research printed this week within the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Henry Xiang of Nationwide Youngsters’s Hospital, US, and colleagues. The authors additionally be aware that charges of pediatric opioid overdoses stay excessive in lots of populations.
Opioid overdose has been declared a public well being emergency in the US however a lot of the main target has been on adults. Within the new research, researchers analyzed overdoses in kids through the use of information spanning 2008 to 2020 from the Nationwide Emergency Division Pattern, which gives anonymized data on emergency division (ED) visits throughout the nation.
Total, prescription-opioid overdose ED visits for sufferers from 0-17 years previous decreased by 22% from 2008 to 2019, after which elevated by 12% in 2020. That total improve could possibly be principally attributed to a rise in overdoses amongst males, kids aged 12 to 17, and people within the West and Midwest. Throughout all time spans, the very best charges of overdoses had been seen in ages 0 to 1 and ages 12 to 17, amongst females, and in city instructing hospital EDs.
The authors conclude that efforts to cut back opioid overdoses ought to embody elevated concentrate on younger kids and adolescents and be aware that additional research might examine the influence of the later years of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opioid epidemic.
The authors add: “Total, prescription opioid overdose ED visits of US kids had a lowering pattern in the course of the previous decade, suggesting the effectiveness of a wide range of interventions and campaigns. Nonetheless, 0-1 years and 12-17-year-olds nonetheless face a major threat of prescription opioid overdose.”
 visits in children 17 and younger between 2008 and 2019, but an uptick in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The authors also note that rates of pediatric opioid overdoses remain high in many populations.){kind=link}