Prescription Painkillers May Be Behind Surge In Deaths In US White Women

The Washington Post (3/6, Paquette) “Wonkblog” reports that during the years from 1999 to 2011, “death rates climbed substantially among only white women, ages 15 to 54.” A study released March 5 from the Urban Institute has now “attributed half the rise to ‘accidental poisoning,’ or drug overdoses” from prescription painkillers (opioids). In fact, “deaths from painkiller overdoses among women have increased more than 400 percent since 1999, the CDC reports, compared with 265 percent among men.”

Related Links:

— “Why death rates among white women are soaring,” Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, March 5, 2015.

Posted in In The News.