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By Maggie Fox
The number of drug overdose deaths exceeded 70,000 in 2017, an increase of almost 10%, reaching a new record, according to new government statistics released Thursday.
Suicide rates also increased by 3.7%. Together, these two causes of premature death reduced life expectancy in the United States for the second year in a row, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
"The latest data from the CDC shows that life expectancy in the United States has declined in recent years. Tragically, this disturbing trend is largely due to deaths from drug overdose and suicide, "said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, in a statement.
"These sobering statistics are an alarm bell: we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to avoid preventable conditions."
The overall life expectancy of Americans was 78.6 years in 2017, a decrease of 0.1 years. It may not seem like much, but generally, life expectancy increases a little every year. If this happens, it means that people are dying younger.
Mortality rates are mainly due to a surprising 9.6% increase in drug overdose deaths, from 63,632 in 2016 to 70,237 in 2017. Most overdoses involved opioids, and the National Center for Labor Statistics reported the health of the CDC has increased by 45%. deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and tramadol. They are responsible for nearly 30,000 drug overdose deaths.
"In West Virginia (with 57.8 overdose deaths per 100,000 population), Ohio (46.3 overdose per 100,000), Pennsylvania (44.3) and the District of Columbia (44), Age-adjusted drug overdose deaths were the highest in 2017, "the CDC report reads.
Nevertheless, the increase was not as significant as the 21% jump in the drug overdose mortality rate between 2015 and 2016. However, the fact that rates are still rising despite the focus Federal, national and local shows that efforts are futile to curb the epidemic of opioid abuse.
Suicide rates have also continued to rise worryingly. "The suicide rate in the United States has gone from 10.4 suicides per 100,000 in 1999 to 14 (per 100,000) in 2017," reads a second report from the CDC.
"Suicide rates have increased since 1999 among men and women aged 10 to 74 years. The rates in the most rural American counties are nearly twice as high as those in the most urban counties. "
The top 10 causes of death have not changed rank. Cancer deaths fell 2.1%, leaving heart disease at the top of the list of deaths among Americans. Unintentional injuries, including drug overdoses, are the third leading cause of death, followed by chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, influenza, and pneumonia. kidney disease and suicide.
"In 2017, a total of 2,813,503 deaths of residents were registered in the United States – 69,255 more deaths than in 2016," reads in the CDC report.
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