Rate of opioid use disorder in adults who received prescription opioid pain therapy—A secondary data analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Data on rates of prescription opioid use disorder (pOUD) in European countries is limited. The aim of this investigation was to analyze a representative population sample regarding the 1-year prevalence of opioid use disorder in patients who received prescription opioid pain therapy and to identify related risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional secondary data analysis SETTING: Secondary data analysis based on data from the 2015 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA 2015) in Germany PARTICIPANTS: German-speaking individuals living in private households aged 18 to 64 years were investigated. A total of 9204 individuals participated in the survey, resulting in a response rate of 52.2%. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was the weighted prevalence of pOUD in the subgroup of study participants who had received prescription opioids. Secondary outcome measure was an analysis of risk factors connected with pOUD in the same subgroup. FINDINGS: A total of n = 9204 participants were included in the study of which n = 275 had received an opioid prescription in the last 12 months of which n = 54 were diagnosed with pOUD. The weighted 1-year prevalence of pOUD was 21.2% (mild: 14.7% | moderate: 3.5% | severe: 2.9%). Participants who had received opioid pain therapy had significantly higher odds of pOUD if they reported signs of depression (OR: 2.69; CI 95%: 1.13–6.38), inexplicable physical complaints (OR: 2.68; CI 95%: 1.14–6.31) or a psychiatric diagnosis (OR: 4.12; CI 95%: 1.36–12.43), and significantly lower odds of pOUD if they reported the use of non-opioid painkillers (OR: 0.27; CI 95%: 0.09–0.81). CONCLUSIONS: pOUD is a common phenomenon in working-age patients who receive prescription opioid pain therapy in Germany and may be related to the co-existence of psychosomatic and psychiatric disorders such as depression.