Overdose Deaths and Acute Hepatitis Infections among American Indians in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND Like the rest of the nation, North Carolina is experiencing the worst drug crisis in United States history, as deaths related to medication and drug overdoses are at an all-time high. Although the absolute numbers of deaths are highest among white populations, American Indians (AIs) experience disproportionally high rates. METHOD Using death certificate data, death rates due to unintentional medication and drug overdose were calculated for various races and ethnicities. Acute hepatitis B (HBV) and acute hepatitis C (HCV) rates were also calculated across racial and ethnic groups using data from the North Carolina Electronic Disease Surveillance System. RESULTS After adjusting for population size, AIs have as high or higher overdose death rates for all types of drugs except heroin, compared to other racial and ethnic groups. During the most recent 5 years of data (2012-2016), the highest rate of acute HCV infection occurred among AIs. LIMITATIONS Race/ethnicity data recorded on death certificates is often provided by family members and is difficult to verify independently. Another potential limitation is use of small numbers to calculate rates. Additionally, HBV and HCV are thought to be underreported. CONCLUSION Overdose death rates and rates of communicable diseases associated with injection drug use among AIs residing in North Carolina are as high as or higher than the overall North Carolina population. It is important to recognize and address these differences and provide prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services to all groups being impacted by the overdose epidemic.