title: Can we predict addiction to opioid analgesics? A possible tool to estimate the risk of opioid addiction in patients with pain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of chronic pain conditions has long been controversial. They have been reported to be relatively safe when prescribed with caution, but a brief and valid instrument to estimate a person's risk of addiction is still missing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate a self-rating questionnaire allowing an estimation of a person's risk of addiction to opioid analgesics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four Austrian hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred forty-one patients were interviewed. Of these, 634 patients were affected with chronic pain while 107 patients had a history of opioid addiction. Patients were interviewed about alcohol and nicotine consumption and family history of psychiatric disorders. Attitudes towards medication and the origin of pain were examined. We asked patients with an opioid addiction and patients suffering from chronic pain to complete a short questionnaire intended to help screen for addiction potential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the patients suffering from chronic pain, patients with an opioid addiction significantly more often had alcohol- and nicotine-related pathologies and psychiatric comorbidity. A family history of mental illness and developmental problems were significantly more frequent in this group. Compared to those not addicted, those with an opioid addiction had significantly higher expectations concerning the potential of medication to change one's mental state; they thought that psychological  factors might contribute to the pain they feel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main limitation of this study is the use of a self-rating instrument which reduces objectivity and introduces the possibility of misreporting. Also, the 2 groups differ in number and are not homogenous.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found differences in questionnaire responses between patients with an opioid addiction and patients suffering from chronic pain to be dependent upon the prevalence of current or former addiction, psychiatric history, attitudes towards medication, and ideas about the origin of pain. We believe these factors have predictive value in estimating a patient with pain's risk of addiction.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skala
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reichl
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ilias
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Likar
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grogl-Aringer
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wallner
authors.forename: Golda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schlaff
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires