title: Opioid use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis 2005-2014: a population-based comparative study.
abstract: Opioid prescriptions have seen an increase across the USA, Canada, Europe, and the UK. In the USA, they have quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. Opioid use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over time is not well described. This study examined trends of opioid use in patients with RA. Retrospective prescription data was examined from 2005 to 2014 in a population-based incidence cohort of patients with RA by 1987 ACR criteria and comparable non-RA subjects. Differences in opioid use were examined with Poisson models. A total of 501 patients with RA (71 % female) and 532 non-RA subjects (70 % female) were included in the study. Total and chronic opioid use in 2014 was substantial in both cohorts 40 % RA vs 24 % non-RA and 12 % RA vs. 4 % non-RA, respectively. Opioid use increased by 19 % per year in both cohorts during the study period (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.15, 1.25). Relative risk (RR) of chronic opiate use for RA patients compared to non-RA subjects was highest in adults aged 50-64 years (RR 2.82; 95 % CI 1.43-6.23). RA disease characteristics, biologic use at index, treated 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. Use has increased in recent years. Patients aged 50-64 with RA use substantially more opioids than their non-RA counterparts.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zamora-Legoff
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Sara J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Achenbach
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.|Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Crowson
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Megan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA. Matteson.Eric@mayo.edu.|Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, USA. Matteson.Eric@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Matteson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid
keywords: Chronic pain management; Opioid trends; Rheumatoid arthritis