Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis Save
Opioid use and abuse is at an all time high. Epidemiologic and public health analyses have led to greater stringency and attempts to limit use have adversely effected those with arthritis.
Researcher at the Mayo Clinic have examined trends in opioid use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Their retrospective study compared prescription use in 501 RA and 532 non-RA patients from 2005 to 2014. Opioid use in 2014 was higher in RA (vs non-RA) for both total opioid (40 % vs. 12%) and chronic (24% vs 4%) opioid use. Opioid use increased by 19 % per year.
Chronic opiate use was highest in RA adults aged 50-64 years (RR 2.82; 95 % CI 1.43-6.23). Biologic use, depression/fibromyalgia, education, and smoking status were not significantly associated with chronic opiate use.
Over a third of patients with RA use opioids in some form, and in more than a tenth use is chronic.
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Disclosures
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose related to this subject
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