Individuals with opioid use disorder had a 10-fold higher mortality rate than the general population in a general health care setting, according to a study of 2,576 patients. When researchers examined the electronic health records of opioid use disorder patients in a large university health system and linked those with mortality data, they found those patients had a standardized mortality ratio of 10.3, compared with the general population and adjusted for sex and age. The overall mortality rate was 18.1 percent, and the mean age of death was 51 years. First, SUDs (substance use disorders) are not routinely screened for in primary care, and most primary care physicians have not received adequate training to diagnose and treat OUD (opioid use disorder),” the authors wrote. “The alarmingly high morbidity and mortality among OUD patients revealed in the present study challenge health care systems to find new and innovative ways to expand evidence-based strategies for OUD in a variety of settings,” the investigators concluded.

Source: Philippine Star February 23, 2019 16:00 UTC