2020 to 2021 Saw Age-Adjusted Rates of Drug Overdose Rise in Colombia

Men had higher overdose rates for all substances apart from opioids and psychotropics

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — During 2010 to 2021, there was an increase in age-adjusted rates of drug overdoses in Colombia, especially from 2018 to 2021, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Julian Santaella-Tenorio, Dr.P.H., from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Colombia, and colleagues used data from a health surveillance system from 2010 to 2021 to examine drug overdoses in Colombia by type of substance, sex, age, and intent. Data were characterized by year, substance types, and sociodemographic variables.

The researchers found that during 2010 to 2021, there was an increase in the age-adjusted rates of drug overdoses, from 8.51 to 40.52 per 100,000 individuals. Compared with women, men had higher overdose rates for all substances, apart from opioids and psychotropics. There was a steady increase seen in drug overdose rates involving cannabis and stimulants until 2017, followed by a decrease. During 2018 to 2021, there was a large increase in overdose rates involving psychotropic medications, mainly due to intentional overdoses among young women.

“Our findings provide important novel information about the magnitude of the drug overdose problem in Colombia from 2010 to 2021,” the authors write. “Our results show that overdose rates greatly increased in both women and men, and in adolescents and young adults.”