Effect of chronic opioid use on the hematological and inflammatory markers: A retrospective study from North India

Abstract

Background Chronic opioid use affects biological functioning implicating the hematopoietic and immune system. It may alter various hematological parameters and inflammatory markers. This study aimed to assess the association of opioid dependence with the hematological parameters and inflammatory markers in the Indian population. Methods A retrospective chart review was done among opioid dependent (ODS) males and healthy controls (HC) who visited the center’s laboratory between Jan 2017 and Dec 2018 for hematological investigations. Clinical records reviewed for opioid use details like type, duration, and route of administration. The hematological profile presented as Mean or median. Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the hematological parameters between the cases and controls. Results The study included 191 ODS patients and 123 controls. Among ODS patients, a significant decrease in the levels of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin and an increase in RBC count and lymphocytes was observed when compared to controls. The inflammatory markers, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio, were significantly lower among ODS. Longer duration of opioid use leads to increased NLR among ODS patients. Opioid use by injection did not alter any of the hematological parameters compared to non-injection drug use. Conclusion Chronic opioid use has a significant effect on the hematopoietic cells. Opioid use for longer durations increases the inflammatory markers suggesting underlying infections.

Inflammatory Hematological Ratios in Adolescents with Mental Disorders: A Scoping Review

“…As for other mental disorders (which have been studied in adolescents), elevated IHRs compared with healthy controls were demonstrated in adult patients with OCD [ 62 , 63 ] and SUD [ 64 , 65 ], and in children with ASD [ 66 , 67 , 68 ]. It should be noted that the number of such studies is limited and their results are somewhat contradictory, which makes comparisons extremely difficult, especially regarding the age-specificity.…”