Wickizer Thomas M, Goldstein Evan V, Mason Rachel, Sharareh Nasser
College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
Health Aff Sch. 2025 Jun 25;3(7):qxaf124. doi: 10.1093/haschl/qxaf124. eCollection 2025 Jul.
The American fentanyl epidemic has become the worst man-made epidemic the country has faced to date, claiming tens of thousands of lives each year.
Using population-based data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we examined the increase in unintentional, fatal fentanyl overdose since 2005 and analyzed the geographic variation in fentanyl mortality among census divisions, states, and counties.
In 2022, 70 813 persons died of an unintentional fentanyl overdose, a 31-fold increase over the 2139 deaths that occurred in 2012; the age-adjusted mortality rate increased similarly. Fentanyl deaths resulted in ∼2.0-2.6 million estimated years of life lost. We estimated the economic loss to the nation resulting from premature mortality was on the order of $57-$67 billion. The impact of the fentanyl epidemic varied widely by geographic area. The mortality rate of West Virginia was 15 times greater than that of South Dakota.
Containing the fentanyl epidemic will require new, data-driven preventive and treatment approaches, coordinated across sectors, including public health, health care, law enforcement, education, and social services. Interventions should be based upon the risk profile of geographic areas and include harm reduction activities as well as social marketing campaigns to improve public awareness of fentanyl's health risks.
美国的芬太尼泛滥已成为该国迄今为止面临的最严重的人为泛滥，每年造成数万人死亡。
利用疾病控制与预防中心提供的基于人群的数据，我们研究了自2005年以来意外芬太尼过量致死人数的增加情况，并分析了人口普查区、州和县之间芬太尼死亡率的地理差异。
2022年，有70813人死于意外芬太尼过量，比2012年的2139例死亡人数增加了31倍；年龄调整后的死亡率也有类似程度的增加。芬太尼死亡导致估计约200万至260万人年的生命损失。我们估计过早死亡给国家造成的经济损失约为570亿至670亿美元。芬太尼泛滥的影响在不同地理区域差异很大。西弗吉尼亚州的死亡率比南达科他州高15倍。
遏制芬太尼泛滥需要新的、以数据为驱动的预防和治疗方法，这些方法要跨部门协调，包括公共卫生、医疗保健、执法、教育和社会服务等部门。干预措施应基于地理区域的风险状况，包括减少伤害活动以及开展社会营销活动，以提高公众对芬太尼健康风险的认识。
