Despite the fewer new cases of addiction worldwide, a sweeping analysis finds drug -related deaths, exposing critical failures to worldwide reduction and recovery systems.
Study: The evolving weight of drug use disorders: A comprehensive epidemiological analysis of the worldwide weight of the 2021 disease study. Credit Picture: NORB_KM/Shutterstock.com
Drug addiction is a threatening public health problem, causing a recent review in the global status using data from the global weight of the disease (GBD) 2021. The paper appeared on the Borders in psychiatry.
Import
Drug addiction or drug use disorders (DUDS), is “Chronic, recurrent conditions characterized by forced use of psychoactive substances despite significant physical, psychological or social harm. “DUDS affects nearly 300 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which include mainly opioids, cannabis and stimulants such as amphetamine and cocaine.
Drug addiction prevents social development, promotes disability and death and increases the rate of crime. Unfortunately, rapid socio -economic change, globalization and urbanization have been associated with increasing drug use and expanding inequalities between areas, transforming the social and economic landscape, more impressive in North America.
This area is considered highly developed, but passes through a drug addiction crisis, which specifically affects young adults, men and opioid users. The United States, especially states such as West Virginia, are still seriously affected and rates continue to grow.
The current study used GBD data and the SDI to examine the situation worldwide. SDI raises per capita income, educational status and fertility rate for the assignment of socio -economic influences by region.
Study findings
At the global level, drug addiction increased by more than a third (36%) between 1990 and 2021, with 13.6 million new cases in 2021. The total number of cases increased by 34% to 53 million.
During this time, mortality measures more than doubled (122%increase) for a total of 137,278 deaths. Interestingly, this comes in relation to an 8% reduction in the incidence by 8% and a 6% reduction in prevalence. However, mortality increased by one third (31%) to 1.65 per 100,000. This shows
A paradoxical global standard of reduced incidence but increased health burden.
Life years adapted to DALYS due to drug addiction reflect the number of healthy years of life lost by drugs, either by death or with a disability. The age -standard DALY rate increased by 15% to 191 per 100,000, while the total DALYS number worldwide increased by about 75% to 15.6 million. This rise was greater in the richest countries and was mainly driven by opioids.
Opioids caused 39% more deaths and 32% more Dalys, at a high 137 per 100,000, mainly due to increasing rates in rich developed areas. Cocaine deaths were more than doubled at 0.15 per 100,000. Specifically, cocaine and opioids are often used, with potentially synergistic toxicity, combining health risks.
Opioid addiction has increased due to the availability of medicines in medical and illegal markets, an expanded prescription and aggressive opioid marketing during pharmaceutical release and regulatory failures to effectively restrict access to these extremely addictive drugs.
Amphetamine addiction was higher among individuals from medium-sized SDI areas (SDI 0.6-0.8), being the exception of the otherwise strong association of the socio-doly region with Dalys. However, its impact decreased by 40%, while mortality increased. The impact and dominance of cannabis remained stable. Other drug addicts have fallen into impact and relative deaths.
The highest rise in deaths and Dalys was in the most developed areas, with five times more than double growth, respectively, compared to 41% of Dalys in medium -income countries.
The wealthy North America was hit harder, with 11.2 times an increase in mortality, increasing from 6,125 to 74,451 deaths. Eastern sub -Saharan Africa had ~ 150% increase in the incidence. On the contrary, East Asia had a 15% reduction in new cases of drug addiction, a change that is partially attributed to stricter drug policies such as China’s anti-Narcotics law.
The United States had the highest age standardized and prevalence, at 531 and 3,821 per 100,000, respectively, similar to Canada and Australia. Although Estonia and Iceland also had a high impact, mortality was low. Both the incidence of cases and the prevalence were low in China.
Younger men (20-24 years old) had a 35% higher risk of drug addiction than women, 386 and 286 who are affected by men and women per 100,000 respectively. The danger between boys multiplied six times between 15 and 19 years. Even after the age of 60, the impact remained at 40 and Dalys at 144.
The highest death rate was between 25 and 29 years, at 3.45 per 100,000 in men and 1.12 per 100,000 in women. Drug addiction is linked to poor education, low employment, poverty and social isolation. Institutional regulations, such as prisons and marginalized low -income neighborhoods, show disproportionately high addiction rates, contributing to social upheaval and combined mental illness.
Future programs should incorporate strictly tested preventive and therapeutic interventions that also take into account the socio -economic and clinical characteristics that lead drug addiction.
Conclusion
Despite the preventive strategies that have caused a reduction in new cases of drug addiction, addicts are getting worse than before, with higher drug and disability death rates. This shows a possible lack of effective rehabilitation and damage reduction approaches, especially in countries with high SDI.
The authors emphasize that prevention alone is inadequate, demanding comprehensive strategies based on data that combine damage reduction, access to treatment and long -term management. Integrated programs are needed to tackle this global epidemic.
