Large Increase in Opioid Deaths Seen in Middle-Aged Black Adults

A new government report finds a large increase in opioid-related deaths among black middle-aged adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in large metropolitan areas, black adults had the biggest rise in rates of drug overdose deaths involving opioids and synthetic opioids in 2017, CNN reports.

In total, about 48,000 people died from opioids that year. Synthetic opioids including fentanyl accounted for almost two-thirds of the deaths.

From 2015 to 2017, almost all racial and ethnic groups and age groups had significant increases in deaths related to opioids and synthetic opioids, the CDC said.
The death rate for black adults ages 45 to 54 more than doubled from 2015 to 2017—from 19.3 to 41.9 per 100,000 people in large central metropolitan areas. For black adults ages 55 to 64, the death rates rose from 21.8 to 42.7 per 100,000 people.