“US drug overdose deaths surged 19 percent to at least 59,000 last year as deadly manufactured drugs like fentanyl intensified a national opioid addiction crisis, New York Times data showed.
The data compiled by the Times showed that for the first time, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old.
The addition of fentanyl, which can be 50 times more powerful than heroin and addictive prescription opiates like Oxycontin is one of the key factors in the surge in deaths.
The Times said its data showed between 59,000 and 65,000 people could have died from overdoses in 2016, up from 52,404 in 2015, and double the death rate a decade ago.”
Read more at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-06-drug-overdose-deaths-soar.html
Source: MedicalExpress.com – June 6, 2017
