Kristin Y Shiue1, Anna E Austin2, Scott Proescholdbell3, Mary E Cox3, Michelle Aurelius4, Rebecca B Naumann5. 1. Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, United States; Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States. Electronic address: kshiue@unc.edu. 2. Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States; Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 401 Rosenau Hall, CB #7445, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, United States. 3. Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 1915 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1915, United States. 4. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 4312 District Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, United States. 5. Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, United States; Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The literal text on death certificates was leveraged to enhance the examination of trends in the specific drugs and drug combinations involved in North Carolina (NC) overdose deaths from 2015 to 2019. METHODS: Using NC death certificate data, overdose deaths included those with a drug poisoning as the underlying ICD-10 cause-of-death code (n = 10,117). The literal text from three death certificate fields were searched for drug mentions by integrating a tool developed by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Overdose Subcommittee with search terms originating from a National Center for Health Statistics/Food and Drug Administration collaboration. Descriptive statistics were calculated to evaluate substance classes, specific drugs, and drug combinations most frequently involved in these deaths over time. RESULTS: From 2015-2019, polydrug involvement in NC overdose deaths increased (71% in 2015 to 75% in 2019). During the study period, opioid involvement shifted from heroin and/or oxycodone in 2015 to predominantly fentanyl in 2019, with fentanyl involvement increasing from 15% to 58%. Psychostimulant involvement increased for both cocaine (2015: 21%, 2019: 35%) and methamphetamine (2015: 3%, 2019: 13%). Benzodiazepine involvement, including alprazolam and clonazepam, declined during the study period, while the involvement of alcohol and antiepileptics/sedative-hypnotics, specifically gabapentin, remained stable. The top polydrug combinations in 2019 were fentanyl + cocaine (15% of all overdose deaths), fentanyl + heroin (10%), fentanyl + cocaine + heroin (6%), and fentanyl + methamphetamine (4%). CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of literal text methodology into ongoing overdose surveillance can facilitate the identification of specific, emerging drugs and combinations and inform targeted overdose prevention approaches.
BACKGROUND: The literal text on death certificates was leveraged to enhance the examination of trends in the specific drugs and drug combinations involved in North Carolina (NC) overdose deaths from 2015 to 2019. METHODS: Using NC death certificate data, overdose deaths included those with a drug poisoning as the underlying ICD-10 cause-of-death code (n = 10,117). The literal text from three death certificate fields were searched for drug mentions by integrating a tool developed by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Overdose Subcommittee with search terms originating from a National Center for Health Statistics/Food and Drug Administration collaboration. Descriptive statistics were calculated to evaluate substance classes, specific drugs, and drug combinations most frequently involved in these deaths over time. RESULTS: From 2015-2019, polydrug involvement in NC overdose deaths increased (71% in 2015 to 75% in 2019). During the study period, opioid involvement shifted from heroin and/or oxycodone in 2015 to predominantly fentanyl in 2019, with fentanyl involvement increasing from 15% to 58%. Psychostimulant involvement increased for both cocaine (2015: 21%, 2019: 35%) and methamphetamine (2015: 3%, 2019: 13%). Benzodiazepine involvement, including alprazolam and clonazepam, declined during the study period, while the involvement of alcohol and antiepileptics/sedative-hypnotics, specifically gabapentin, remained stable. The top polydrug combinations in 2019 were fentanyl + cocaine (15% of all overdose deaths), fentanyl + heroin (10%), fentanyl + cocaine + heroin (6%), and fentanyl + methamphetamine (4%). CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of literal text methodology into ongoing overdose surveillance can facilitate the identification of specific, emerging drugs and combinations and inform targeted overdose prevention approaches.