ER visits, hospitalization from opioid overdoses spike in Alberta

The number of visits to hospital emergency departments in Alberta from opioid overdoses has multiplied more than 10 times in five years, according to a new report.

In 2016-17, there were an average of 11 emergency department visits per day attributed to overdoses. The issue is especially prominent in youth aged 15 to 24 — the group had the fastest-growing rate of such visits, tripling in five years, said the report released Thursday.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information study — which measured rates of emergency room visits as well as hospitalizations from opioid overdoses across Canada — highlighted an ongoing public health crisis.

“Tragically, in 2016, we estimate there were about 2,500 apparent opioid-related deaths in Canada, which is greater than the number of Canadians who died at the height of the HIV epidemic in 1995,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, in the report.

The Alberta government launched a commission in May as part of its strategy to combat the deadly trend, and the provincial health ministry is conducting a quarterly analysis. In August, the analysis into the second quarter of 2017 found that more than one death in Alberta per day was linked to fentanyl.

And Alberta isn’t alone — nationally, the rate of hospitalizations from opioid overdoses jumped 53 per cent in the last decade. Northern and Western Canada suffered the highest rates compared to the rest of the country.

Opioids — including fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone — are prescribed by doctors to treat pain, but they are also addictive and can be bought illegally.

The report found in 63 per cent of cases where seniors needed to be hospitalized in 2016-17, their opioid overdoses were accidental. This compared to youth hospitalizations, where 44 per cent of overdoses were intentional.

In 2016-17, Edmonton’s rate of emergency department visits for opioid overdoses was among the highest in the country, at 85.2 per 100,000 people in the census metropolitan area. This compared to 99.4 per 100,000 in Calgary and just 23 per 100,000 in Toronto.

Provincially, Alberta’s rate in 2016-17 was 88.6 per 100,000 compared to Ontario at 34.6 per 100,000. This was up from Alberta’s 37.6 per 100,000 and Ontario’s 23.5 per 100,000 in 2012-13.

Alberta’s provincial rate for hospitalizations due to overdose was also high, at 23.1 per 100,000 compared to the national rate of 15.5 per 100,000. The territories, though, had the highest regional rate, at 34.5 per 100,000 people requiring hospitalization due to overdose.

The report used data from the Hospital Morbidity Database as well as the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System to collect clinical and demographic information on hospitalizations.