Drug overdose mortality among adolescents has been rising at a faster rate than in the general population, largely due to the presence of fentanyl, a potent opioid pain medication. A new study published in JAMA has shed light on trends in nonfatal opioid overdoses in youth, an area that was previously not as well understood but is crucial for developing prevention strategies to save lives. Researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago analyzed data from Emergency Medical Services encounters between January 2018 and December 2022.
The study found that opioid overdoses in youth increased significantly at the onset of the pandemic and remained elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels. The majority of these overdoses, 86 percent, occurred in young adults aged 18-24. However, adolescents aged 12-17 also emerged as a high-risk group, with significantly increasing trends in opioid overdoses both before and during the pandemic. Most of the opioid overdoses in youth, 58 percent, occurred at home.
Lead author Jamie Lim, MD, a fellow in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Lurie Children’s, emphasized the importance of keeping naloxone, an over-the-counter medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, at home. Lim also highlighted the need for providers to screen youth for substance use and the risk of opioid overdose, as it is becoming a growing concern among young people. Fentanyl, which is increasingly present in street drugs, can lead to accidental overdoses, underscoring the importance of awareness among parents and patients.
Senior author Michael Toce, MD, from Boston Children’s Hospital’s Division of Emergency Medicine, discussed the broader impact of the findings, noting that evaluating prehospital data for opioid overdoses in U.S. youth can provide crucial insights into the opioid epidemic. He emphasized the importance of understanding at-risk youth populations to develop better-targeted prevention strategies and inform future public health measures. Co-authors from Lurie Children’s included Sriram Ramgopal, MD, and Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS.
Overall, the study highlights the concerning increase in opioid overdoses among youth, with a particular focus on adolescents and young adults. The findings underscore the need for parents to be aware of the risks and to have naloxone on hand to potentially save lives in the event of an overdose. Providers are also urged to screen youth for substance use and risk of opioid overdose, as well as to educate them about the dangers of fentanyl in street drugs. By understanding the trends in opioid overdoses among youth, public health measures can be better informed and prevention strategies can be more effectively targeted.