Medication use and factors associated with opiate use among patients with diagnosed fibromyalgia from two ethnic sectors in southern Israel

BACKGROUND: Our aims were to compare fibromyalgia (FM) rate, drug treatment and factors associated with the use of opiates in two ethnic sectors. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study in southern district of Israel was performed on diagnosed FM patients in 2019–2020 [7686 members (1.50%)]. Descriptive analyses were conducted and multivariable models for the use of opiates were developed. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the two ethnic groups in FM prevalence at 1.63% and 0.91% in the Jewish and Arab groups, respectively. Only 32% of the patients used recommended medications and about 44% purchased opiates. Age, BMI, psychiatric co-morbidity, and treatment with a recommended drug were similarly associated with an increased risk for opiate use in both ethnic groups. However, male gender was associated with × 2 times reduced risk to use opiates only among the Bedouins (aOR = 0.552, 95%CI = 0.333–0.911). In addition, while in both of ethnic groups the existence of another localized pain syndrome was associated with an increased risk for opiates use, this risk was 4 times higher in the Bedouin group (aOR = 8.500, 95%CI = 2.023–59.293 and aOR = 2.079, 95%CI = 1.556–2.814). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed underdiagnosis of FM in the minority Arab ethnicity. Female Arab FM patients in low or high, compared to middle socio-economic status, were a risk group for excess opiate use. Increased use of opiates and very low rate of purchase of recommended drugs point to a lack of effectiveness of these drugs. Future research should assess whether the treatment of treatable factors can reduce the dangerous use of opiates.