Nonfatal Overdoses Rise Among Children Under 15; Stimulant Use on the Rise Among All Ages: Study

A study in the January 2021 Pediatrics finds that nonfatal drug-related overdoses are on the rise among youth under 15, with stimulant overdoses rising among all age groups, according to emergency room data from 2016 to 2019. The study, “Suspected nonfatal drug-related overdoses among youth in the US: 2016-2019,” to be published online Dec. 7, reviews data from nearly 90 million emergency department visits over the 3-year span. During that time, researchers found an uptick in overdoses of all drugs (including opioids, heroin and stimulants) among children ages 0-10 (2% increase) and children 11-14 (2.3%). These events are still relatively rare; for every 10,000 emergency department visits, an average 22.3 are suspected all-drug overdoses among children 0-10 and an average 43.2 are children 11-14. Among teens ages 15-24, an average 85.2 suspected all-drug nonfatal overdoses per 10,000 emergency department visits. All age groups saw an increase in stimulant nonfatal overdoses: 3.3% for those ages 0-10, 4% for ages 11-14, and 2.3% for ages 15-24. Nonfatal heroin overdoses decreased among those ages 15-24 by 3.3 %. The authors suggest the findings could help inform targeted interventions, such as those aimed at preventing abuse of stimulants.

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.