Opioid Overdose: Trends, Risk Factors, Interventions and Priorities for Action

Overview

This document briefly reviews international data on trends in illicit opioid use and opioid overdose deaths, in order to identify research priorities and strategies for preventing such.

The report begins with an overview of international trends in the nature and extent of the illicit use of opioids. A description is then given of mortality related to illicit opioid use and the difficulties in defining and recording dug overdoses. An analysis is provided of the risk factors that have been identified to date for illicit opioid overdose deaths. The document concludes with priorities for action to better define and record overdose and other drug-related deaths and to reduce the toll of overdose deaths due to the illicit use of opioid drugs.