A new study has found that U.S. seniors are also hard-hit by the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

A report issued by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, analyzing federal health data, found that over the past eight years, U.S. adults aged 65 and older have experienced a 9,000 percent increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl mixed with stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

The researchers analyzed 404,964 death certificates that were obtained via a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database that listed fentanyl as a cause of death between 1999 and 2023. Most of the deaths—387,924—were attributed to younger adults in the 25 to 64 age bracket, but 17,040 adults aged 65 or older were also present in the database.

Between 2015 and 2023, fentanyl-related overdose deaths among older adults shot up to 4,144 in 2023 from 264 in 2015—a 1,470 percent increase. Younger adults also saw a significant spike in overdose deaths, going to 64,694 from 8,513 in that same time period.

The group found that there appears to be “a growing number of fentanyl-stimulant related deaths, particularly among adults age 65 or older.” It said that 8.7 percent of deaths overall, or 23, were attributed to fentanyl and stimulants in 2015 but rose by 9,000 percent to 49.9 percent, or 2,070, in 2023.

The number of fentanyl-stimulant deaths recorded among younger adults grew by 2,115 percent over the same eight-year span, increasing to 38,333 deaths in 2023 from 1,812 in 2015, according to the researchers.

“A common misconception is that opioid overdoses primarily affect younger people,” Gab Pasia, lead author of the study and a medical student at the University of Nevada, said in a statement. “Our analysis shows that older adults are also impacted by fentanyl-related deaths and that stimulant involvement has become much more common in this group.

“This suggests older adults are affected by the current fourth wave of the opioid crisis, following similar patterns seen in younger populations.”

The research comes as provisional data released by the CDC earlier this year show that overall overdose deaths dropped by nearly 27 percent between 2023 and 2024. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses in 2024, according to the provisional data, down from 110,000 in 2023.

The CDC noted at the time that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 44, which underscores “the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.”

President Donald Trump in June signed a measure passed by Congress, called the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently designates fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act and gives law enforcement officials more authority in targeting drug traffickers. Possession of a Schedule I drug is considered a felony and can be prosecuted as drug smuggling.

The Trump administration also has declared stemming the flow of fentanyl precursors from China a priority in trade talks with Beijing, an effort that follows a spate of initiatives by the Biden administration to reduce the importation of such substances into the United States from China and other illegal supply chains.

Meanwhile, Trump has designated Mexican drug cartels and several gangs that smuggle these and other narcotics into the United States as foreign terrorist organizations. In September and October, the Pentagon and Trump confirmed several U.S. military strikes on boats that they said were smuggling drugs from Venezuela.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.