Opioid Overdoses Lead to Lower Average Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in the United States dipped in 2016 as the number of deaths due to opioid drug overdoses surged. Total drug overdose deaths rose 21 percent to 63,600, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Life expectancy fell to 78.6 years, a decrease of a tenth of a year. In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid-related overdoses, up 28 percent from 2015. Meanwhile, the number of deaths from synthetic opioids other than methadone, such as fentanyl and tramadol, more than doubled to 19,413, the CDC said.

Opioid-related overdose deaths surged from 2014 to 2016, with an average annual increase of 18 percent. Addictions sometimes begin with prescriptions resulting from workplace injuries.

Source: Reuters