Fatal Drug Overdoses More Common in Men

THURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Men are more likely to have a fatal overdose than women across drug categories, according to a study published June 14 in Neuropsychopharmacology.

Eduardo R. Butelman, Ph.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues used the CDC WONDER database to analyze state-level epidemiological data on overdose mortality, across 10-year age groups (age range: 15 to 74) for decedents in the United States in 2020 to 2021.

The researchers found that for all drug categories (synthetic opioids [e.g., fentanyl], heroin, psychostimulants with potential for misuse [e.g., methamphetamine], and cocaine), men had greater overall overdose mortality than women, even when controlling for rates of drug misuse. Across jurisdictions, the mean male/female sex ratio of mortality rate was relatively stable (synthetic opioids, 2.5; heroin, 2.9; psychostimulants, 2.4; cocaine, 2.8). The sex difference was generally consistent across age groups, particularly for the 25 to 64 age range.

"Results indicate that males are significantly more vulnerable than females to overdose deaths caused by opioid and stimulant drugs, taking into account differing state-level environmental conditions and drug misuse levels," the authors write.

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