Journal Article

Association of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Opioid Pain Medication Overuse among Persons Exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center Disaster

Li, Jiehui, Dhanya, Ananya Sarker, Cone, James E., Yung, Janette

2023

Overview

We examined the association of post-9/11 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis with opioid pain medication overuse among enrollees in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR). Opioid overuse was defined as the self-reported intake of prescribed opioids at a higher dosage or more often than directed in the last 12 months on one of the two most recent WTCHR surveys (2015–2016, 2020–2021). Post-9/11 RA was ascertained through self-reports and subsequently validated following medical record release by the enrollees’ physicians or medical records review. We excluded those with self-reported RA that was not validated by their physicians and those who did not report being prescribed opioid pain medication in the last 12 months. Multivariable log-binomial regression was conducted to examine the relationship between post-9/11 RA diagnosis and opioid pain medication overuse, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and 9/11-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Of the 10,196 study enrollees, 46 had confirmed post-9/11 RA. The post-9/11 RA patients were mostly females (69.6% vs. 37.7%), less frequently non-Hispanic White (58.7% vs. 73.2%) individuals, and less often had attained a higher level of education (76.1% vs. 84.4%) compared to those without post-9/11 RA. Opioid pain medication overuse was significantly associated with a post-9/11 RA diagnosis (Adjusted Risk Ratio: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.44–3.17). More research is needed to better understand the use and management of prescribed opioids among WTC-exposed individuals with RA.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Analgesics, Opioid / Antiarthritic agents / Arthritis / Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications / Cartilage / Disease / Drug overdose / Female / Fentanyl / Humans / Male / Medical records / Morphine / Narcotics / Older people / Opioids / Pain / Pain - complications / Post traumatic stress disorder / Prescription Drug Overuse / Registries / Rheumatoid arthritis / Rheumatoid factor / Self report / September 11 Terrorist Attacks / September 11 terrorist attacks-2001 / Sociodemographics / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - complications / Substance abuse treatment / Surveys / Terrorism