Polysubstance, Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths Rose From 2004 to 2022

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By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on April 20, 2026.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, April 20, 2026 -- Overdose deaths from polysubstance use escalated from 2004 to 2022 for all racial and ethnic groups but with disproportionate increases for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals, according to a study published online April 15 in Addiction.

Kechna Cadet, Ph.D., from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues measured gender-specific racial disparities in opioid-related polysubstance use drug mortality in the United States using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Database for Epidemiologic Research Multiple Cause of Death file from 2004 to 2022.

The researchers identified 627,793 opioid-only, 196,001 opioid-stimulant, and 117,322 opioid-benzodiazepine overdose deaths. Across all groups, opioid-involved deaths increased, with the highest absolute rate change experienced by non-Hispanic Black men (53.55 per 100,000; annual average percent change, 17.3 percent). There were pronounced increases between 2011 and 2022 (annual percent change [APC]: 29.0 percent). The largest increase in opioid-stimulant polysubstance use deaths occurred among non-Hispanic Black men and women, with a 39.5 percent APC from 2011 to 2022 for men and 36.2 percent APC from 2012 to 2022 for women. The rates accelerated by 33.8 percent per year from 2012 to 2022 for Hispanic men. Non-Hispanic White men and women experienced the highest absolute rate change for opioid-benzodiazepine polysubstance use deaths (3.39 and 2.41 per 100,000, respectively).

"The United States is in the fourth wave of the overdose crisis, driven by polysubstance use," Cadet said in a statement. "By understanding who is experiencing the highest burden of these overdose patterns, we can better tailor our treatment and harm reduction services to those who need it the most."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-04-21 01:59

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