A recent study presented at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology has revealed a link between long-term opioid use and an increased risk of developing dementia. Conducted by Nelsan Pourhadi, M.D., and colleagues from the Danish Dementia Research Centre at Copenhagen University Hospital, this nationwide, population-based study explored the association between cumulative noncancer opioid use and age-related all-cause dementia.

Study Overview

The research tracked a cohort of 1,872,854 individuals aged 60 to 75 years who had no reported cases of dementia, cancer, or opioid addiction, using data from Danish national registries. The follow-up period spanned from 2000 to 2020, during which 93,638 individuals developed dementia. Each dementia case was matched to five controls using incidence density matching.

Key Findings

Opioid Use and Dementia Risk

The study found that while opioid exposure up to 90 total standardised doses (TSDs) was not linked to an increased dementia risk, consuming more than 90 TSDs was associated with a higher risk of developing dementia before the age of 90. This association suggested a dose-response pattern, indicating a slight correlation between elevated opioid use and subsequent dementia development.

Age-Specific Data

The degree of dementia diagnosis varied with age:

• Ages 60 to 69: The adjusted incidence rate ratio for dementia occurrence after 91 to 200 TSDs of opioid use was 1.28.
• Ages 70 to 79: The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 1.16.
• Ages 80 to 89: The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 1.09.

These associations remained consistent for patients with specified chronic noncancer pain and those exclusively using weak opioids.

Implications

The researchers noted that while opioid use has been connected to short-term cognitive adverse effects, long-term studies on the opioid-associated risk of dementia have been sparse. Their findings underscore the need for further investigations to determine whether there is a causal relationship between opioid use and dementia.

Source: Practice Update