title: Frequent use of opioids in patients with dementia and nursing home residents: A study of the entire elderly population of Denmark.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain is believed to be undertreated in patients with dementia; however, no larger studies have been conducted. The aim was to investigate prevalent use of opioids in elderly with and without dementia in the entire elderly population of Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  A register-based cross-sectional study in the entire elderly (≥65 years) population in 2010 was conducted. Opioid use among elderly with dementia (N = 35,455) was compared with elderly without (N = 870,645), taking age, sex, comorbidity, and living status into account.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nursing home residents (NHRs) used opioids most frequently (41%), followed by home-living patients with dementia (27.5%) and home-living patients without dementia (16.9%). Buprenorphine and fentanyl (primarily patches) were commonly used among NHRs (18.7%) and home-living patients with dementia (10.7%) but less often by home-living patients without dementia (2.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Opioid use in the elderly Danish population was frequent but particularly in patients with dementia and NHR, which may challenge patient safety and needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre (DDRC), Rigshospitalet-University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: christina.jensen-dahm@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jensen-Dahm
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gasse
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Aske
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astrup
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus, Denmark; Centre for Integrated Register-Based Research, CIRRAU, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Preben Bo
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre (DDRC), Rigshospitalet-University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gunhild
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waldemar
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002047:Buprenorphine; D005283:Fentanyl
keywords: Buprenorphine; Dementia; Elderly; Fentanyl; Opioids; Pain