Another thread of the opioid crisis uncovered. An 83% increase-Wow. This has surely been going on for decades.....
New opioid use among older COPD patients was associated with an increased risk of death from causes related to coronary artery disease in a retrospective cohort study from Canada.
Among COPD patients living in long-term care facilities, the coronary artery disease death rate was more than double among new opioid users versus patients not on opioids, reported Nicholas Vozoris, MD, of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, and colleagues.
And new opioid use was associated with an 83% increase in coronary artery disease-related deaths among community-dwelling patients.
Findings from the study, published June 29 in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, raise concerns about the use of opioids in patients with COPD, especially among the large population of older patients with comorbidities, Vozoris said.