Life expectancy is declining in high-income counties across the world because of the opioid epidemic and a worsening flu season, according to studies published in BMJ, MDLinx reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. One study examined trends across 18 high-income countries, finding life expectancy has declined significantly since 2014. A worsening flu season was found partially to blame.
2. This is the first time in several decades so many high-income countries have experienced simultaneous decreases.
3. In the U.S., life expectancy declines can be traced back to the opioid epidemic, which is particularly impacting 20- and 30-year-old males.
4. The second study related decreasing life expectancy in the U.S. to drug and substance abuse in general.
5. Lead study author Steven Woolf, MD,told MDLinx, "A leading cause is fatal drug overdoses — fueled by the opioid epidemic — but we make a mistake if we focus only on the drug problem, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Deaths from alcoholism and suicides have also increased, what some call deaths of despair."