TABLE 1.
Patient characteristics for FY18 Veterans Health Administration patients with opioid use disorder with and without opioid overdose (n = 66 513).
| Characteristic | OD cohort (n = 1413) | Non-OD cohort (n = 65 100) | Standardized difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographicsa | |||
| Sex, n (%) | |||
| Female | 108 (7.6) | 5007 (7.7) | 0.002 |
| Age at overdose, mean (SD) | 51.6 (15.1) | 52.4 (14.3) | 0.053 |
| Race, n (%) | |||
| Black | 249 (17.6) | 12 140 (18.6) | 0.027 |
| White | 1086 (76.9) | 48 941 (75.2) | 0.039 |
| Other | 44 (3.1) | 2070 (3.2) | 0.004 |
| Ethnicity, Hispanic, n (%) | 78 (5.5) | 3759 (5.8) | 0.011 |
| Marital status, n (%) | |||
| Never married | 373 (26.5) | 15 042 (23.5) | 0.068 |
| Married | 401 (28.5) | 20 819 (32.6) | 0.090 |
| Separated | 108 (7.7) | 4968 (7.8) | 0.004 |
| Divorced | 469 (33.3) | 20 980 (32.9) | 0.009 |
| Widowed | 56 (4) | 1979 (3.1) | 0.047 |
| Geographic region, n (%) | |||
| Urban | 1085 (77) | 47 125 (72.9) | 0.095 |
| Rural | 318 (22.6) | 17 018 (26.3) | 0.087 |
| Highly rural | 7 (0.5) | 536 (0.83) | 0.041 |
| Territory | 0 (0) | 6 (0.01) | 0.014 |
| ≥ 50% VA service-connected disability, n (%) | 703 (49.9) | 28 420 (43.9) | 0.120 |
| Clinical | |||
| Elixhauser comorbidities, mean (SD) | 5.6 (3.3) | 4 (2.7) | −0.543 |
| RIOSORD Risk Index Score, mean (SD) | 40.4 (16) | 26 (16.1) | −0.895 |
| RIOSORD class, n (%) | |||
| 1 (0–24) | 241 (17.1) | 32 595 (50.1) | 0.746 |
| 2 (25–32) | 151 (10.7) | 9990 (15.3) | 0.139 |
| 3 (33–37) | 166 (11.7) | 6389 (9.8) | 0.062 |
| 4 (38–42) | 195 (13.8) | 5500 (8.4) | 0.171 |
| 5 (43–46) | 151 (10.7) | 3062 (4.7) | 0.226 |
| 6 (47–49) | 98 (6.9) | 1909 (2.9) | 0.186 |
| 7 (50–54) | 164 (11.6) | 2640 (4.1) | 0.284 |
| 8 (55–59) | 106 (7.5) | 1625 (2.5) | 0.231 |
| 9 (60–66) | 81 (5.7) | 934 (1.4) | 0.233 |
| 10 (≥ 67) | 60 (4.2) | 456 (0.7) | 0.230 |
| Alcohol abuse | 644 (45.8) | 23 233 (36.7) | 0.185 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 142 (10) | 3163 (4.9) | 0.199 |
| Chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis | 457 (32.3) | 12 980 (19.9) | 0.285 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 506 (35.8) | 12 929 (19.9) | 0.362 |
| Tobacco use | 1135 (80.3) | 45 277 (69.5) | 0.251 |
| Bipolar disorder or manic episodes | 229 (16.2) | 7921 (12.2) | 0.116 |
| Schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder | 90 (6.4) | 2861 (4.4) | 0.088 |
| Sleep apnea | 267 (18.9) | 9910 (15.2) | 0.098 |
| Prescription drugs | |||
| Opioid use, by formulation | |||
| Immediate-release only | 392 (27.7) | 22 193 (34.1) | 0.138 |
| Extended-release/long-acting only | 47 (3.3) | 1684 (2.6) | 0.044 |
| Both | 117 (8.3) | 3006 (4.6) | 0.150 |
| Average total daily morphine milligram equivalents, n (%) | |||
| < 50 | 1225 (86.7) | 59 872 (92) | 0.171 |
| 50 to < 100 | 97 (6.9) | 3038 (4.7) | 0.094 |
| ≥ 100 | 91 (6.4) | 2190 (3.4) | 0.143 |
| Select non-opioid drugs, n (%) | |||
| Antidepressant | 823 (58.2) | 33 469 (51.4) | 0.138 |
| Benzodiazepine | 158 (11.2) | 5033 (7.7) | 0.118 |
| Stimulant | 49 (3.5) | 2223 (3.4) | 0.003 |
| Muscle relaxant | 285 (20.2) | 10 302 (15.8) | 0.113 |
Note: ‘Other’ race includes American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Multiple, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. There were 1949 (3%) with decline toanswer/unknown/or missing race data in the no overdose group and 34 (2.4%) with decline to answer/unknown/or missing race data in the overdosegroup. There were 948 (1.5%) with multiple/decline to answer/unknown/or missing ethnicity data in the no overdose group and 22 (1.6%) with multiple/decline to answer/unknown/or missing ethnicity data in the overdose group. There were 1312 (2%) with missing marital status data in the no overdose group and six (0.4%) with missing marital status data in the overdose group. There were 415 (0.6%) missing rurality in the no overdose group and three (0.2%) with missing rurality in the overdose group. There were 307 (0.5%) with missing disability in the no overdose group and three (0.2%) with missing disability in the overdose group.
Abbreviations: SD = standard deviation; RIOSORD = Risk Index for Overdose and Serious Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression.