Report Reveals Opioid-Related Disorders Rose In The U.S.

Report Reveals Opioid-Related Disorders Rose In The U.S.

Introduction

Last week, a new study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in which researchers indicate that the rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and maternal opioid-diagnosis (MOD) increased by 82% and 131%, respectively, in the U.S. during 2010-2017.

The study was conducted by researchers with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with an objective to examine national and state variation in NAS and MOD rate in 2017 and to note that changes since 2010.

According to the study, 5,300 newborns were born with NAS, and 6,000 women had MOD documented at the time of discharge from the 750,000 birth hospitalizations and 748,000 delivery hospitalizations that occurred during that period. The study was the result of a cross-sectional analysis of the 2010 and 2017 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s National Inpatient Sample and State Inpatient Database, which included  11.8 million hospitalizations from 47 states and the District of Columbia.

As per the report, the estimated NAS rate significantly increased by 3.3 per 1000 birth hospitalizations during that period. Similarly, the estimated MOD rate significantly increased by 4.6 per 1000 delivery hospitalizations.

The report also included a state-wise rise in opioid-related disorders, which stated that NAS rates ranged from 1.3 per 1000 birth hospitalizations in Nebraska to 53.5 per 1000 birth hospitalizations in West Virginia. Maine (31.4), Vermont (29.4), Delaware (24.2), and Kentucky (23.9) also exceeded 20 per 1000 birth hospitalizations.

The MOD rates ranged from 1.7 per 1000 delivery hospitalizations in Nebraska to 47.3 per 1000 delivery hospitalizations in Vermont. West Virginia (40.1), Maine (37.8), Delaware (24.3), and Kentucky (23.4) exceeded 20 per 1000 delivery hospitalizations.

The researchers concluded that the estimated rates of NAS and MOD significantly increased nationally and for the majority of states, with a notable state-level variation.