Years of life lost to drug overdose in the Latinx community during the most recent wave of overdose deaths.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study estimated years of life lost (YLL) among US Latinx individuals during the most recent wave of drug overdose deaths. METHODS: A serial cross-sectional study of YLL (life expectancy minus age at death) from death certificate records of Latinx individuals who died from drug overdoses from 2015 to mid-2022. RESULTS: Over the study period, 58,209 Latinx individuals aged 15-64 years died from drug overdoses resulting in 2,266,784 YLL. Age-group YLL differences remained stable, but gender YLL trajectories diverged. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study extends our understanding of the immense loss to Latinx communities from preventable drug deaths.