Association of oral opioid usage and mortality in patients with inflammatory arthritides: a Korean nationwide cohort study
Main finding · MortalityResult — go to the resultHazard ratio 1.60 95% CI 1.11–2.32Authors' conclusion
Oral opioids, prescribed to a substantial proportion of patients with IA, were associated with higher mortality, particularly among male patients.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with seropositive RA, AS and PsA, National Health Insurance Sharing Service database, South Korea, 2010–2022
- Participants
- 161,907 patients
- Exposure
- Oral opioid use vs no oral opioid use
- Outcome
- Mortality
Methodological detailsnationwide, time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models, 6-month lagged analysis
- Nationwide
- Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models
- 6-month lagged analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hazard ratio
1.60
95% CI 1.11–2.32
P = 0.012
Oral opioid usevs No oral opioid use
HR 1.60 (95% CI 1.11–2.32); P = 0.012
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | HR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortality, 6-month lag-adjusted model | 1.71 (1.15–2.54) | P = 0.008 | |
| 0.20.5125Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Annual prescription rate of oral opioids · 2022
- Increased steadily during the study period, reaching 47.5% by 2022
Mortality by sex (subgroups)
- Male patients: significantly higher mortality risk associated with oral opioid use
- Female patients: risk not evident
Original publication
Association of oral opioid usage and mortality in patients with inflammatory arthritides: a Korean nationwide cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 11 March 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →