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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019 Jan 9;196:1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.12.004

Table 1.

Changes in fentanyl, fentanyl analog, heroin, and non-fentanyl prescription opioid-related deaths in West Virginia, 2005–2017 (n = 8813).

2005 – 2014 2015 – 2017
Characteristics Total Drug-Related Deathsa
n (%)
Fentanyl and/or Analogsb
n (%)
Heroinc
n (%)
Prescriptio n Opioid(s)d
n (%)
p-valuee Total Drug-Related Deathsa
n (%)
Fentanyl and/or Analogs
n (%)
Heroinc
n (%)
Prescription Opioids(s)d
n (%)
p-valuee
Totalf 5924 (NA) 487 (8.2) 508 (8.6) 3545 (59.8) NA 2889 (NA) 1082 (37.5) 290 (10.0) 857 (29.7) NA
Age (mean, SD) 41.6 (118) 39.7 (113) 36.1 (10.7) 41.3 (11.4) 0.0039 42.1 (12.3) 39.2 (112) 38.2 (112) 46.4 (11.4) <0.0001
Male 3921 (66.2) 313 (64.3) 402 (79.1) 2240 (63.2) 0.6386 1952 (67.6) 766 (70.8) 202 (69.7) 515 (60.1) <0.0001
BMI (mean, SD) 28.9 (7.6) 29.2 (6.9) 28.4 (6.6) 29.6 (7.9) 0.2544 28.4 (7.8) 28.1 (7.0) 28.9 (7.7) 29.3 (8.4) 0.0010
Number of drugs present
 Single drug 1320 (22.3) 48 (9.9) 97 (19.1) 366 (10.3) 664 (23.0) 140 (12.9) 59 (20.3) 74 (8.6)
 2 drugs 1539 (26.0) 126 (25.9) 164 (32.3) 967 (27.3) 833 (28.8) 309 (28.6) 123 (42.4) 235 (27.4)
 3 drugs 1354 (22.9) 138 (28.3) 129 (25.4) 941 (26.6) 0.8711 659 (22.8) 302 (27.9) 63 (21.7) 237 (27.7) 0.0018
 4 drugs 895 (15.1) 97 (19.9) 66 (13.0) 651 (18.4) 409 (14.2) 202 (18.7) 24 (8.3) 161 (18.8)
 5 or more drugs 816 (13.8) 78 (16.0) 52 (10.2) 620 (17.5) 324 (112) 129 (119) 21 (7.2) 150 (17.5)
Number of drugs present by sex (mean, SD)
 Female 3.2 (1.7) 3.3 (1.6) 3.1 (1.7) 3.5 (1.7) 0.2543 3.0 (1.6) 3.1 (1.4) 2.6 (1.5) 3.5 (1.7) 0.0013
 Male 2.6 (1.4) 3.1 (1.3) 2.6 (1.4) 3.0 (1.4) 0.3451 2.5 (1.4) 2.9 (1.3) 2.4 (1.1) 3.0 (1.5) 0.0246
 Total 2.8 (1.6) 3.2 (1.5) 2.7 (1.4) 3.2 (1.5) 0.8893 2.7 (1.5) 2.9 (1.3) 2.4 (1.3) 3.2 (1.6) <0.0001
Manner of death
 Unintentional 4982 (84.1) 455 (93.4) 499 (98.2) 3141 (88.6) 2670 (92.4) 1068 (98.7) 284 (97.9) 762 (88.9)
 Suicide 517 (8.7) 8 (1.6) 8 (1.6) 175 (4.9) 0.0015 118 (4.1) 8 (0.7) 0 (0.0) 44 (5.1) <0.0001
 Other (Could not be determined, homicide) 425 (7.2) 24 (4.9) 1 (0.2) 229 (6.5) 101 (3.5) 6 (0.6) 6 (2.1) 51 (6.0)
Cause of death by category
Overdose 5292 (89.3) 480 (98.6) 506 (99.6) 3401 (95.9) 2568 (88.9) 1072 (99.1) 284 (97.9) 787 (91.8)
Transportati on (occupant, pedestrian, etc.) 197 (3.3) 2 (0.4) 1 (0.2) 40 (1.1) 0.0165 223 (7.7) 5 (0.5) 4 (1.4) 50 (5.8) <0.0001
Other injuries (fall, firearm, drowning, etc.) 435 (7.3) 5 (1.0) 1 (0.2) 104 (2.9) 98 (3.4) 5 (0.5) 2 (0.7) 20 (2.3)

NA: not applicable.

a

Includes deaths involving any drug or alcohol.

b

2005–2014 included only 1 fentanyl analog identified in 1 death.

c

Any death involving heroin with no fentanyl and/or analogs.

d

Any death involving buprenorphine, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, diphenoxylate, propoxyphene, meperidine or tramadol; no fentanyl and/or analogs or heroin.

e

Comparison between fentanyl and/or analogs and prescription opioid(s).

f

Total drug-related deaths during time period.