THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Problematic pharmaceutical opioid use (POU) is widespread among people with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) treated with opioid analgesics, according to a study published online Aug. 7. Seeks.

Kyla H. Thomas, Ph.D., MBBS, of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of POU in CNCP patients (aged 12 years and older) treated with opioid analgesics. POU was defined as dependence and opioid use disorder (D&OUD), signs and symptoms of D&OUD (S&S), aberrant behavior (AB), and risk for D&OUD. Data were included from 148 studies involving more than 4.3 million participants; 1 percent of studies had a high risk of bias.

The researchers found that the pooled prevalence was 9.3 percent (I²99.9 percent), 29.6 percent (I²99.3 percent) and 22 percent (I²99.8 percent) for D&OUD, S&S and AB, while the prevalence of those at risk for D&OUD was 12.4 percent (I²99.6 percent). Study setting, study design and diagnostic instrument influenced the prevalence. The results should be interpreted with caution due to the high heterogeneity, say the researchers.

“Physicians and policymakers need a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of problematic opioid use among pain patients so they can assess the true extent of the problem, change prescribing policies as needed, and develop and implement effective interventions to combat the problem,” Thomas said in a statement. “Knowing the extent of the problem is a necessary step to getting it under control.”

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