Intoxication in Children From Opioids Prescribed to Family Members

Are children living in households of family members who recently filled an opioid prescription at increased risk of opioid-related death and other serious opioid events (SOEs)?In this 27-year, population-based case-control study of 3 761 618 children in Denmark, the odds were nearly 4-fold higher of opioid-related death and nearly 3-fold higher of any SOE among children whose family members filled an opioid prescription in the prior 3 months compared with children in unexposed households, and the odds were also higher compared with children exposed to nonopioid analgesics.This study suggests that opioids prescribed to household family members are associated with a markedly increased risk of fatal and nonfatal opioid intoxication in children; mitigation strategies may include improved prescribing stewardship and caregiver education to reduce pediatric intoxication.

Corresponding Author: Yaron Finkelstein, MD, University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada (yaron.finkelstein@sickkids.ca).

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