AHRQ: Opioid-related hospital stays increasing faster for women than men

Opioid-related hospital stays increased 75% for women and 55% for men between 2005 and 2014, while opioid-related emergency department visits doubled for both sexes, according to a report released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Opioid-related hospitalizations were virtually the same for men and women in 2014 at 224 and 225 per 100,000, respectively. Men continued to have a higher rate of opioid-related ED visits than women at 203 vs. 153 per 100,000. Opioid-related stays and visits increased for all age groups over the 10-year period and were highest among patients aged 25-44 and 45-64.