{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,9]],"date-time":"2026-11-09T17:15:04Z","timestamp":1794244504653,"version":"4.9.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Youth overdose deaths have remained elevated in recent years as the illicit drug supply has become increasingly contaminated with fentanyl and other synthetics. There is a need to better understand fatal drug combinations and how trends have changed over time and across sociodemographic groups in this age group.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>METHODS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We used the National Vital Statistics System\u2019s multiple cause of death datasets to examine trends in overdose deaths involving combinations of synthetic opioids with benzodiazepine, cocaine, heroin, prescription opioids, and other stimulants among US youth aged 15 to 24\u00a0years from 2018 to 2022 across age, sex, race and ethnicity, and region.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>RESULTS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Overdose death counts rose from 4652 to 6723 (10.85 to 15.16 per 100\u2009000) between 2018 and 2022, with a slight decrease between 2021 and 2022. The largest increases were deaths involving synthetic opioids only (1.8 to 4.8 deaths per 100\u2009000). Since 2020, fatal synthetic opioid\u2013only overdose rates were higher than polydrug overdose rates involving synthetic opioids, regardless of race, ethnicity, or sex. In 2022, rates of synthetic-only overdose deaths were 2.49-times higher among male youths compared with female youths and 2.15-times higher among those aged 20 to 24\u00a0years compared with those aged 15 to 19\u00a0years.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CONCLUSIONS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Polydrug combinations involving synthetic opioids continue to contribute to fatal youth overdoses, yet deaths attributed to synthetic opioids alone are increasingly predominant. These findings highlight the changing risks of the drug supply and the need for better access to harm-reduction services to prevent deaths among youth.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2024-069488","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,20]],"date-time":"2025-05-20T11:04:43Z","timestamp":1747739083000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Changes in Synthetic Opioid\u2013Involved Youth Overdose Deaths in the United\u00a0States: 2018\u20132022"],"prefix":"10.1542","volume":"155","author":[{"given":"Megan","family":"Miller","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katherine","family":"Wheeler-Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New 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