Hospitals Overwhelmed With Treating Diseases Resulting From IV Drug Use

Hospitals are struggling to deal with an overwhelming number of cases of diseases that result from intravenous opioid use, including hepatitis C, endocarditis and the antibiotic-resistant infection MRSA.

Hepatitis C is the most common infectious disease that affects people with opioid use disorder, USA Today reports. Reported cases of the disease almost tripled between 2010 and 2015.

Endocarditis—a condition in which the heart’s inner lining is inflamed—is a side effect of opioid addiction. Hospitalizations for endocarditis rose almost 50 percent from 2002 to 2012, at an average cost of $50,000 per patient.

MRSA is the second most common co-occurring condition with opioid use disorder, the article notes. The cost of treating the infection is about $60,000 per patient.