Tapentadol PR improves pain, QoL in osteoarthritis patients
Germany: Tapentadol prolonged-release (PR) is a useful strong analgesic to improve pain intensity, physical functioning and quality of life in elderly osteoarthritis (OA) patients, according to a recent study published in the journal Pain Management.
Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating disease of joints. It affects the entire joint, involving the cartilage, joint lining, ligaments, and bone. Pain and disability is the hallmark of osteoarthritis and it has become one of the leading cause of disability in older adults, affecting 9.6% of elderly men and 18% of elderly women. OA pain leads to severe impairments in physical functioning and quality of life.
Christian Elling, Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen, Germany, and colleagues extracted data of patients with severe chronic knee and/or hip OA pain from the database of a prospective, noninterventional trial to assess the benefits of tapentadol prolonged-release in elderly patients (>65 years of age; n = 1162) compared with younger patients (≤65 years of age; n = 498).
Pain was assessed by the Numerical Rating Scale (scores 0-10, with 10 being worst pain). QoL was assessed by the Short Form-12 (scores 0-100, with 100 being least disabled).
Key findings of the study include:
- 53.5% of the elderly at baseline had been in pain for >2 years vs 49% of nonelderly.
- After 3 months of treatment with tapentadol PR:
- Pain was reduced by 3.8 points in elderly (52.1%) and 4 points in nonelderly patients (54.8%).
- QoL (physical component) rose by 11.8 points in elderly and 12.3 points in nonelderly patients.
- QoL (mental component) rose by 12.4 points in elderly and 13.5 points in nonelderly patients.
- AEs occurred in 2.4% of elderly and 3.4% of nonelderly patients.
"Tapentadol PR is tied to reduced pain and improved QoL with a low rate of adverse events (AEs) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis (OA)," concluded the authors.
The study, "Tapentadol prolonged release for severe chronic osteoarthritis pain in the elderly: improvements in daily functioning and quality of life," is published in the journal Pain Management.
