Temporal and geographic patterns in opioid abuse in Texas
1Texas Department of State Health Services, Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries Section, Austin, Texas 78756, USA. mathias.forrester@dshs.state.tx.us
Journal of Addictive Diseases
|May 1, 2012
Summary
Opioid analgesic abuse cases in Texas surged 160% from 2000 to 2010. Abuse represented a growing proportion of total exposures, with highest rates in northeastern Texas.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Toxicology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Opioid analgesic abuse presents a significant and escalating public health challenge in the United States.
- Understanding the trends and geographical distribution of opioid abuse is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the annual and geographic patterns of opioid analgesic abuse exposures reported to Texas poison centers between 2000 and 2010.
- To quantify the increase in opioid analgesic abuse cases and its proportion among total exposures over the study period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of all opioid analgesic abuse exposures reported to Texas poison centers from 2000 to 2010.
- Calculation of annual case numbers, proportions of abuse-related exposures, and rates per 100,000 population.
Main Results:
- The annual number of opioid analgesic abuse cases rose by 160%, from 441 in 2000 to 1,145 in 2010.
- The proportion of total opioid analgesic exposures due to abuse increased by 55%, from 11.4% in 2000 to 17.8% in 2010.
- Geographic analysis revealed the highest opioid analgesic abuse rate in northeastern Texas (90.15 per 100,000) and the lowest in southern Texas (27.91 per 100,000).
Conclusions:
- Opioid analgesic abuse has significantly increased in Texas between 2000 and 2010, both in absolute numbers and as a proportion of total exposures.
- Geographic disparities in opioid analgesic abuse rates within Texas highlight the need for regionally tailored prevention and treatment strategies.
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