Prescription opioid use among older adults with arthritis or low back pain

• Published in: Arthritis and rheumatism 2006-02, Vol.55 (1), p.35-41
• Main Authors: Solomon, Daniel H., Avorn, Jerry, Wang, Philip S., Vaillant, George, Cabral, Danielle, Mogun, Helen, Stürmer, Til
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Diseases of the spine; Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data; Drug Utilization Review; Female; Health services use; Humans; Inflammatory joint diseases; Low back pain; Low Back Pain - drug therapy; Male; Medical sciences; Medicare - statistics & numerical data; Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases; Myocardial Ischemia - complications; Opioid analgesics; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - complications; Pennsylvania; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Prescription patterns; Rheumatoid arthritis
• ISSN: 0004-3591; 0893-7524; 1529-0131; 1529-0123
• DOI: 10.1002/art.21697

Objective To examine patterns of chronic opioid use in selected groups with arthritis and low back pain and compare them with patterns among persons with ischemic heart disease. Methods The study database consisted of Medicare beneficiaries who were enrolled in a drug benefit program for low‐to‐moderate income Pennsylvania residents. We identified selected patients who had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, or ischemic heart disease since 1995. Chronic opioid use, defined as at least six 30‐day prescriptions in a year, was the endpoint of interest. We examined the proportion of patients meeting this definition during the period 1996–2001 and determined predictors based on multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results Four percent of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis used opioids chronically in 2001, compared with