title: Analgesic use for knee and hip osteoarthritis in community-dwelling elders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence and correlates of non-opioid and opioid analgesic use and descriptively evaluate potential undertreatment in a sample of community-dwelling elders with symptomatic knee and/or hip osteoarthritis (OA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and fifty-two participants attending the year 6 visit (2002-03) with symptomatic knee and/or hip OA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analgesic use was defined as taking ≥1 non-opioid and/or ≥1 opioid receptor agonist. Non-opioid and opioid doses were standardized across all agents by dividing the daily dose used by the minimum effective analgesic daily dose. Inadequate pain control was defined as severe/extreme OA pain in the past 30 days from a modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Just over half (51.4%) reported taking at least one non-opioid analgesic and approximately 10% was taking an opioid, most (88.5%) of whom also took a non-opioid. One in five participants (19.3%) had inadequate pain control, 39% of whom were using <1 standardized daily dose of either a non-opioid or opioid analgesic. In adjusted analyses, severe/extreme OA pain was significantly associated with both non-opioid (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.44; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.49-3.99) and opioid (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI = 1.26-5.53) use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although older adults with severe/extreme knee and/or hip OA pain are more likely to take analgesics than those with less severe pain, a sizable proportion takes less than therapeutic doses and thus may be undertreated. Further research is needed to examine barriers to optimal analgesic use.
authors: Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. zam12@pitt.edu
authors: Zachary A
authors: ZA
authors: Marcum
authors: Subashan
authors: S
authors: Perera
authors: Julie M
authors: JM
authors: Donohue
authors: Robert M
authors: RM
authors: Boudreau
authors: Anne B
authors: AB
authors: Newman
authors: Christine M
authors: CM
authors: Ruby
authors: Stephanie A
authors: SA
authors: Studenski
authors: C Kent
authors: CK
authors: Kwoh
authors: Eleanor M
authors: EM
authors: Simonsick
authors: Doug C
authors: DC
authors: Bauer
authors: Suzanne
authors: S
authors: Satterfield
authors: Joseph T
authors: JT
authors: Hanlon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006801:Humans; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid