Gender difference in long-term use of opioids among Taiwan officially registered patients with chronic noncancer pain

Abstract

Research regarding sex or gender difference in chronic pain proliferated in this decade. This study was to analyze gender difference in Taiwan patients receiving long-term opioids for chronic noncancer pain.An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted among the registered outpatients by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire, including the Taiwanese version of Brief Pain Inventory and enquiry regarding sexual activities, depressive symptoms, and misuse behaviors.In total, 68 female and 142 male patients were analyzed. Both pain intensity and daily function interference reduced comparably (around 50%) between women and men after taking opioids in the past 1 week. The opioid-related adverse effects, including constipation, decreased sexual desire and satisfaction, and misuse behaviors were not significantly different. Women were exceedingly diagnosed with depression (67.7% vs 49.3%, P = .012) and had a higher mean depressive symptom score in the past 1 month, especially among those age <40 years (23.3 vs 11.9, P = .009), as compared with men. In addition, women had a lower mean self-rated health score (37.9 vs 44.3, P = .047). The mean morphine equivalent dose was significantly lower in women (131.6 vs 198.2 mg/day, P = .008), which was not correlated with their depressive scores.Gender differences in the effectiveness and adverse effects of long-term opioids were not found among Taiwan registered outpatients with chronic noncancer pain. However, more female patients inclined to have a coexisting depression diagnosis, depressive symptoms, and a lower perceived health score, needing regular screening and closer monitoring.

Psychotropic and Opioid-Based Medication Use among Economically Disadvantaged African-American Older Adults

“…Further, poor health has been found to be a significant factor in prescription opioid misuse among African Americans [ 55 ]. Other populations groups have also expressed lower self-rated health scores with opioid use [ 56 ]. Even though only a bivariate correlation was found, African Americans using antipsychotics were found to have a lower quality of life, a finding corroborated by other studies [ 57 , 58 ].…”

Prescription Opioid Use among Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak in Taiwan: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study

“…This study used a Chinese-language questionnaire incorporating elements from several existing inventories [ 18 , 21 , 22 ], namely the Taiwanese version of the Brief Pain Inventory [ 23 ], the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Taiwanese version of the abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire [ 24 ]. The initial questionnaire investigated chronic pain duration, opioid therapy duration, pain intensity (scored from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating the least pain and 10 the worst pain), and pain reduction percentage (0–100%) after receiving opioids in the previous week.…”

Gender Differences in Depression and Sex Hormones among Patients Receiving Long-Term Opioid Treatment for Chronic Noncancer Pain in Taiwan—A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

“…The Chinese language questionnaire was largely based on previous studies including validation of the Taiwanese version of the Brief Pain Inventory [20] and the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, [21] and our prior surveys [15][16][17]. Pain intensity was evaluated using a numeric scale of 0 (least) to 10 (worst) and the percentage (0-100%) of pain reduction after taking opioids in the past week.…”

“…The history of using questionnaires to interview registered CNCP outpatients in Taiwan extends back to 2001 [15][16][17]. However, few hypogonadism surveys have been conducted in Taiwan, [18] particularly among patients with CNCP.…”