Long-term prescription opioid users' risk for new-onset depression increases with frequency of use

Use of Palliative Care Among Adults With Newly Diagnosed Heart Failure: Insights From a US National Insured Patient Sample

BACKGROUND

Despite the known benefits for individuals with heart failure (HF), incomplete data suggest a low use of palliative care (PC) for HF in the United States. We aimed to investigate the national PC use for adults with HF by determining when they received their first PC consultation (PCC) and the associations with clinical factors following diagnosis of HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a national all-payer electronic health record database to identify adults (aged ≥18 years) with newly diagnosed HF between 2011 and 2018. The proportion of those who received PCC within 5 years following a diagnosis of HF, and associations of time to first PCC with patient characteristics and HF-specific clinical markers were determined. We followed 127 712 patients for a median of 792 days, of whom 18.3% received PCC in 5 years. Shorter time to receive PCC was associated with diagnoses of HF in 2016 to 2018 (compared with 2010-2015: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.421 [95% CI, 1.370-1.475]), advanced HF (aHR, 2.065 [95% CI, 1.940-2.198]), cardiogenic shock (aHR, 2.587 [95% CI, 2.414-2.773]), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (aHR, 5.718 [95% CI, 5.327-6.138]), and visits at academic medical centers (aHR, 1.439 [95% CI, 1.381-1.500]).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite an expanded definition of PC and recommendations by professional societies, PC for HF remains low in the United States. Racial and geographic variations in access and use of PC exist for patients with HF. Future studies should interrogate the mechanisms of PC underusage, especially before advanced stages, and address barriers to PC services across the health care system.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Individuals With a Substance Use Disorder: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction

There is limited evidence on colorectal cancer screening among individuals with a substance use disorder. This study aims to investigate the association between personal history of a substance use disorder and colorectal cancer colonoscopy screening completion rates.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzed 176,300 patients, of whom 171,973 had no substance use disorder and 4,327 had a substance use disorder diagnosis from electronic health record data (January 1, 2008-December 31, 2022) in a Midwestern healthcare system. Baseline was January 1, 2013, and a 10-year follow-up period ran through December 31, 2022. The outcome was receipt of colonoscopy in the 10-year follow-up period. Patients were aged 50-65 years at baseline, meaning that they were eligible for a colonoscopy through the entirety of the 10-year follow-up period. Covariates included demographics (age, race, and neighborhood SES), health services utilization, psychiatric and physical comorbidities, and prior colonoscopy or fecal occult blood testing. Entropy balancing was used to control for confounding in weighted log-binomial models calculating RR and 95% CIs.

Results

Patients were on average aged 57.1 (±4.5) years, 58.2% were female, 81.0% were White, and 16.9% were of Black race. The most prevalent comorbidities were obesity (29.6%) and hypertension (29.4%), followed by smoking/nicotine dependence (21.0%). The most prevalent psychiatric comorbidity was depression (6.4%), followed by anxiety disorder (4.5%). During the 10-year follow-up period, 40.3% of eligible patients completed a colorectal cancer colonoscopy screening test, and individuals with a substance use disorder diagnosis were significantly less likely to receive a colorectal cancer colonoscopy screening test both prior to and after controlling for confounding (RR=0.73; 95% CI=0.70, 0.77 and RR=0.81; 95% CI=0.74, 0.89, respectively). Results were not modified by sex, race, psychiatric comorbidity, or neighborhood SES.

Conclusions

Personal history of substance use disorder was independently associated with lower screening completion rates. Healthcare professionals should recognize unique barriers among individuals with substance use disorder and then address them individually as a multidisciplinary team in the outpatient setting to reduce this health disparity.

Baseline Characteristics From a New Longitudinal Cohort of Patients With Noncancer Pain and Chronic Opioid Use in the United States

Retrospective cohort studies have consistently observed that long-term prescription opioid use is a risk factor for new major depressive episodes. However, prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish evidence for causation. The Prescription Opioids and Depression Pathways cohort study is designed for this purpose. The present report describes the baseline sample and associations between participant characteristics and odds of daily versus nondaily opioid use. Second, we report associations between participant characteristics and odds of depression, dysthymia, anhedonia, and vital exhaustion. Patients with noncancer pain were eligible if they started a new period of prescription opioid use lasting 30 to 90 days. Participants were 54.8 (standard deviation ± 11.3) years of age, 57.3% female and 73% White race. Less than college education was more common among daily versus nondaily opioid users (32.4% vs 27.3%; P = .0008), as was back pain (64.2% vs 51.3%; P < .0001), any nonopioid substance use disorder (12.8% vs 4.8%; P < .0001), and current smoking (30.7% vs 18.4% P < .0001). High pain interference (50.9% vs 28.4%; P < .0001) was significantly associated with depression, as was having more pain sites (6.9 ± 3.6 vs 5.7 ± 3.6; P < .0001), and benzodiazepine comedication (38.2% vs 23.4%; P < .0001). High pain interference was significantly more common among those with anhedonia (46.8% vs 27.4%; P < .0001), and more pain sites (7.0 ± 3.7 vs 5.6 ± 3.6; P < .0001) were associated with anhedonia. Having more pain sites (7.9 ± 3.6 vs 5.5 ± 3.50; P < .0001) was associated with vital exhaustion, as was back pain (71.9% vs 56.8%; P = .0001) and benzodiazepine comedication (42.8% vs 22.8%; P < .0001). Patients using prescription opioids for noncancer pain have complex pain, psychiatric, and substance use disorder comorbidities. Longitudinal data will reveal whether long-term opioid therapy leads to depression or other mood disturbances such as anhedonia and vital exhaustion. PERSPECTIVE: This study reports baseline characteristics of a new prospective, noncancer pain cohort study. Risk factors for adverse opioid outcomes were most common in those with depression and vital exhaustion and less common in dysthymia and anhedonia. Baseline data highlight the complexity of patients receiving long-term opioid therapy for noncancer pain.

Characteristics of patients with non-cancer pain and long-term prescription opioid use who have used medical versus recreational marijuana

OBJECTIVE

Marijuana use is increasingly common among patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) and long-term opioid therapy (LTOT). We determined if lifetime recreational and medical marijuana use were associated with more frequent and higher dose prescription opioid use.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional SUBJECTS: Eligible patients (n=1,037), who had a new period of prescription opioid use lasting 30-90 days, were recruited from two midwestern health care systems to a study of long-term prescription opioid use and mental health outcomes. The present cross-sectional analyses uses baseline data from this on-going cohort study.

METHODS

Primary exposures were participant reported lifetime recreational and medical marijuana use versus no lifetime marijuana use. Prescription opioid characteristics included daily versus non-daily opioid use and ≥50 morphine milligram equivalent (MME) dose per day vs. <50 MME. Multivariate, logistic regression models estimated the association between lifetime recreational and medical marijuana use vs. no use and odds of daily and higher dose prescription opioid use, before and after adjusting for confounding.

RESULTS

The sample was an average of 54.9 (SD±11.3) years of age, 57.3% identified as female gender, 75.2% identified as White, and 22.5% identified as Black race. Among all participants, 44.4% were never marijuana users, 21.3% were recreational only, 7.7% medical only and 26.6% were both recreational and medical marijuana users. After controlling for all confounders, lifetime recreational marijuana use, as compared to no use, was significantly associated with increased odds of daily prescription opioid use (OR=1.61; 95%CI:1.02-2.54). There was no association between lifetime recreational or medical marijuana use and daily opioid dose.

CONCLUSION

Lifetime medical marijuana use is not linked to current opioid dose, but lifetime recreational use is associated with more than a 60% odds of being a daily prescription opioid user. Screening for lifetime recreational marijuana use may identify patients with chronic pain who are vulnerable to daily opioid use which increases risk for adverse opioid outcomes. Prospective data is needed to determine how marijuana use influences the course of LTOT and vice versa.

Heartache and Heartbreak: An Observational and Mendelian Randomization Study

Background

Depression has a significant effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD), but uncertainties persist regarding which modifiable risk factors mediate the causal effects. We aim to determine whether depression is causally linked to CVD and which modifiable risk factors play potential mediating roles.

Methods

We used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach and NHANES 2007-2018 data to estimate the effects of depression on various CVD cases and investigated 28 potential mediators of the association between depression and CVD.

Results

The results of our MR analysis indicated that genetically determined depression was associated with increased risk of several CVD, including coronary heart disease (odds ratio (OR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05,1.22), myocardial infarction (OR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09,1.31), atrial fibrillation (OR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06,1.22), and stroke (OR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05,1.22). However, there was no causal association between depression and heart failure. Four out of 28 cardiometabolic risk factors, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and prescription opioid use, were identified as mediators of the association between depression and various CVDs. Observational association analyses from NHANES data yielded consistent results.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated that depression has a causal detrimental effect on various CVDs. Four causal mediators (hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and prescription opioid use) were screened to explain the causal effect. Implementing targeted management strategies for these risk factors may be warranted to mitigate the public health burden of CVD among individuals with depression.

Factors Associated With Interest in Engaging in Psychological Interventions for Pain Management

OBJECTIVE

Engagement in evidence-based psychological interventions for pain management is low. Identifying characteristics associated with interest in interventions can inform approaches to increase uptake and engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with interest in psychological interventions among persons with chronic noncancer pain receiving prescription opioids.

METHODS

Participants with chronic noncancer pain and a new 30 to 90 day opioid prescription were recruited from 2 health systems. Participants (N=845) completed measures regarding pain, opioid use, psychiatric symptoms, emotional support, and interest in psychological interventions for pain management.

RESULTS

There were 245 (29.0%) participants who reported a high interest in psychological interventions for pain management. In bivariate analyses, variables associated with interest included younger age, female sex, greater pain severity, greater pain interference, greater number of pain sites, lower emotional support, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder ( P <0.05). In a multivariate model, greater pain severity (odds ratio [OR]=1.17; CI: 1.04-1.32), depression (OR=2.10; CI: 1.39-3.16), post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=1.85; CI: 1.19-2.95), and lower emotional support (OR=0.69; CI: 0.5-0.97) remained statistically significant.

DISCUSSION

The rate of interest in psychological interventions for pain management was low, which may indicate that patients initiating opioid treatment of chronic noncancer pain have low interest in psychological interventions. Greater pain severity and psychiatric distress were related to interest, and patients with these characteristics may especially benefit from psychological interventions. Providers may want to refer to psychological interventions before or when opioids are initiated. Additional work is needed to determine whether this would reduce long-term opioid use.

The impacts of anxiety and depression on outcomes in orthopaedic trauma surgery: a narrative review

Introduction

The impact of anxiety and depression on outcomes in orthopaedic trauma surgery is a topic of growing research interest.

Patients and methods

Orthopaedic trauma patients often experience high rates of psychiatric disorders, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent. Mental health disorders have been shown to increase the risk of negative surgical outcomes and morbidity. This narrative review seeks to summarize the current literature surrounding the impacts of anxiety and depression on orthopaedic trauma surgery outcomes.

Discussion

There is a bidirectional relationship between chronic pain and mental health disorders, involving overlapping brain regions and neurotransmitter pathways. Anxiety and depression have been identified as predictors of negative surgical outcomes in orthopaedic trauma patients. Screening tools like the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener-7 (GAD-7), and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) can assess mental health status and help tailor interventions. Psychological distress, chronic pain, and traumatic limb amputation are factors that contribute to adverse mental health outcomes in orthopaedic trauma patients. Opioid use for pain management is common in orthopaedic surgery, but it can worsen symptoms of depression and lead to dependency. Non-opioid pain management strategies may improve postoperative outcomes by reducing the impact of opioid-exacerbated depression.

Conclusion

Mental health interventions, both preoperative and postoperative, are crucial in optimizing surgical outcomes and improving patient quality of life. Multidisciplinary approaches that address both physical and mental health are recommended for orthopaedic trauma patients. Further research is needed to develop effective interventions for improving mental health outcomes in this patient population.