Opioid use above 90 total standardized doses closely associated with increased dementia risk: JAMA

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that fewer than 90 total standardized doses (TSDs) of opioids were not substantially linked to an increased risk of dementia. With over 10 million new cases reported each year and a fast rising incidence worldwide, dementia is becoming a more serious public health concern. Between 2000 and 2019, the usage of opioids quadrupled more than usual throughout the globe. Although opioids have been investigated as a possible risk factor for dementia, there is little data linking long-term noncancer opioid usage and the sole use of mild opioids to an increased risk of dementia. Thus, Nelsan Pourhadi and colleagues carried out this investigation to evaluate the relationship between the risk of age-related all-cause dementia and the cumulative noncancer usage of opioids.

In this population-based cohort nested case-control research, 1,872 854 people without a history of dementia, opioid addiction, cancer, or opioid use in terminal illness were included. Every person with dementia during follow-up was incidence-density matched to 5 controls who did not have dementia. The period of statistical analysis was August 2023 to March 2024. The total amount of opioid exposure was calculated using filled prescriptions from 1995 to 2020. The main findings of this study were adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for the relationships between opioids and dementia, which were obtained using conditional logistic regression.