Trends in heart failure-related mortality among psychoactive drug users in the United States: A nationwide cross-sectional analysis of the CDC WONDER database.

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) is becoming a growing epidemic in the United States. The use of psychoactive substances leads to serious health issues and elevated death rates. By the year 2020, around 37.309 million Americans were engaged in illegal drug use. Between 2012 and 2015, the US experienced a 264 % rise in opioid-related cases.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored mortality patterns and inequalities in HF among psychoactive drug users from 2003 to 2020.

METHODS

Data from the CDC WONDER database were examined to evaluate substance use (SU) related deaths among individuals with HF aged 25 and older from 2003 to 2020. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1000,000 people and annual percent change (APC) were determined and categorized by year, gender, race, urbanization level, and geographic area.

RESULTS

Between 2003 and 2020, 61,899 deaths linked to SU in HF patients were reported. The overall AAMR increased from 5.68 in 2003 to 22.16 in 2020, with the sharpest rise from 2003 to 2006 (APC: 27.98; 95 % CI, 15.57-41.72). Males consistently had higher AAMR than females (22.70 vs. 10.10). Non-Hispanic (NH) White individuals had the highest AAMR (15.69), followed by NH Black (15.45) and Hispanics (5.67). AAMRs were higher in non-metropolitan (22.61) than metropolitan areas (13.70). States in the top 90th percentile included Michigan, Kentucky, Idaho, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Montana.

CONCLUSION

Mortality rates from HF linked to SU have risen significantly, with marked variations by sex, race, and geography, underscoring the need for targeted public health strategies to reduce deaths in high-risk groups.