Christina Jensen-Dahm1, Christiane Gasse2, Aske Astrup2, Preben Bo Mortensen3, Gunhild Waldemar4. 1. Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre (DDRC), Rigshospitalet-University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: christina.jensen-dahm@regionh.dk. 2. National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus, Denmark. 3. 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. 4. Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre (DDRC), Rigshospitalet-University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 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. METHOD: 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.
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. METHOD: 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.
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