AKIPRESS.COM - US life expectancy rose in 2018 for the first time in four years, a welcome reversal for health officials combating a drug epidemic gripping the country, BBC reports.

Deaths from drug overdoses declined for the first time in over 20 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Overall life expectancy improved by 0.1 years from 2017, to 78 years and seven month, the agency said.

The news was "a real victory", said Alex Azar, the US health secretary.

"It should be a source of encouragement for all Americans who have been committed to connecting people struggling with substance abuse to treatment and recovery," Mr Azar said.

Death rates for unintentional injuries, which includes overdoses, declined by 2.8%, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics report, published on Thursday.

Some 400,000 Americans are thought to have died of overdose as a result of the opioid crisis that began in the late 1990s, as painkillers flooded US markets, driving addiction to the drugs.

The brisk rate of mortality due to drug overdose had been cited as key reason for the declining life expectancy seen in previous years.

Deaths from heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of mortality in the US, continued to decline, falling by 0.8% and 2.2% respectively.