PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Drug Overdose and Poisoning Incidents

Why Is This Important?

Drug poisoning deaths are a preventable public health problem; they are the leading cause of injury death in Utah, outpacing deaths due to firearms, falls, and motor vehicle crashes. Ten Utahns die each week from drug overdose. Utah is particularly affected by illicit opioids, specifically fentanyl, which is responsible for 33% of the unintentional and undetermined drug poisoning deaths in the state.

Data Notes

Data are age-adjusted (2000 U.S. standard population). Poisoning deaths are defined as ICD-10 codes X40-X49, Y10-Y19, X60-X69, X85-X90, Y35.2, *U01.6-U01.7. Drug poisoning deaths are a subset of poisoning deaths and are defined as ICD-10 codes X40-X44, X60-X64, X85, Y10-Y14. The Consensus Recommendations for National and State Poisoning Surveillance definition of a drug is as follows: A drug is any chemical compound that is chiefly used by or administered to humans or animals as an aid in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease or injury, for the relief of pain or suffering, to control or improve any physiologic or pathologic condition, or for the feeling it causes.

Risk Factors

In Utah, the top circumstances observed in prescription opioid deaths were physical health problem, substance abuse problem, current mental health problem, current mental health/substance abuse treatment, non-prescription drug involvement, alcohol dependence or problem, and history of suicide attempts. Source: Utah Department of Health Violence and Injury Prevention Program, Prescription Opioid Deaths in Utah, 2017 updated Fact Sheet [https://opidemic.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/Prescription-Opioid-Deaths-2018.pdf]

How Are We Doing?

The 2022 age-adjusted drug poisoning death rate was 19.5 per 100,000 population. During that year, 5.9% of Utah drug poisoning deaths were of undetermined intent, 14.5% were self-inflicted, and 79.4% were unintentional. From 2019 to 2022, males (23.9 per 100,000 population) had a significantly higher age-adjusted drug poisoning death rate compared to females (15.9 per 100,000 population). Males had the highest crude rates in the 35 to 44-year-old age group, while females had the highest crude rates in the 45-54-year-old age group. For ages 18-24, male drug poisoning death rates were significantly higher than female drug poisoning death rates (17.1 and 6.4 per 100,000 population, respectively).

What Is Being Done?

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has received funding to address prescription drug abuse, misuse, and overdose deaths by continuing data collection efforts to help target interventions, develop provider materials, increase naloxone awareness, expand public awareness efforts, and develop provider tools and resources to address prescription drug abuse. To address the opioid epidemic in Utah, the Violence and Injury Prevention Program oversees academic detailing; leads opioid dashboard development; manages Stop the Opidemic, a campaign that works to raise awareness on opioid abuse and misuse while reducing stigma; organizes naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and xylazine test strips dissemination and tracks overdose reversals; and provides funding to local health departments, 2-1-1, and other community partners who work alongside the DHHS in the opioid epidemic.