美国女性滥用处方止痛药死亡案例迅速增加

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdoses from prescription painkillers is a growing epidemic, especially among women.

The CDC says 48,000 women died from prescription painkiller overdoses from 1999 to 2010.  It says overdose deaths among women have increased 400% since 1999, compared to 265% among men. 

The CDC says that while men are still more likely to die of prescription painkiller overdoses, the gap between men and women is closing.   It says the rate in deaths relates to the increased prescribing of painkillers in the United States in the past decade.

The CDC is urging health care providers to recognize that women are more at risk of painkiller overdose when prescribing the medicines. 

The painkillers included in the CDC report include common opioid or narcotic pain relievers, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone and methadone.

美国疾控中心说，从1999年到2010年，有48000名女性死于处方止痛药的滥用。该中心说，女性因滥用药物而造成死亡的案例从1999年以来增长了400%，相比之下，男性增加了265%。

美国疾控中心说，虽然男性死于滥用处方止痛药的机率仍然大于女性，但男女之间在这方面的差距正在缩小。该中心说，死亡率的增加与过去十年来美国人增加使用止痛药处方有着相应的关系。

美国疾控中心敦促医疗人员在开处方药时认识到女性更有可能滥用止痛药的风险。

美国疾控中心的报告列举的止痛药物包括常用的鸦片类或麻醉型止痛药，比如氢可酮（hydrocodone）、羟考酮（oxycodone）、羟吗啡酮（oxymorphone）和美沙酮（methadone）。