Study Links Regular Opioid Use to Increased Dementia Risk

Research published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia suggests that individuals who regularly use opioids may face a heightened risk of developing dementia, particularly vascular dementia. The study, led by researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, in collaboration with experts from the Massachusetts Veterans Home and the University of Pennsylvania, involved a significant cohort drawn from the UK Biobank.

Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is characterized as pain that persists for over three months without being related to cancer. Since the mid-1990s, the use of opioids for managing CNCP has surged, raising concerns regarding the potential for inappropriate prescribing, dependency, and misuse of potent opioid medications.

Previous investigations have indicated that opioid use may interfere with the endogenous opioid system, which could impair brain regions such as the hippocampus, potentially leading to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia.

In this comprehensive study, the team analyzed data from 197,673 individuals aged 37 to 73 who were diagnosed with CNCP, with an average follow-up period of 13.8 years. Various statistical models, including Cox, linear, and logistic regression, were employed to account for possible confounding factors while investigating the connections between regular opioid use and the onset of dementia, alongside neuroimaging and cognitive assessments.

The findings revealed that regular opioid users exhibited a 20% greater risk of developing all-cause dementia when compared to those using alternative analgesics. Notably, participants who frequently consumed strong opioids experienced an over 70% increase in dementia risk. In contrast, individuals using non-opioid analgesics showed risk levels comparable to non-users. Additionally, a significant correlation was identified between opioid use and vascular dementia (VD).

Neuroimaging analyses indicated that the regular consumption of strong opioids was associated with reductions in total brain volume (TBV), white matter volume (WMV), and hippocampal volume (HV). Furthermore, opioid use correlated with lower fluid intelligence scores, although it did not significantly relate to declines in prospective memory.

This research highlights the critical need to consider both the potency of opioids and the cumulative exposure to these substances when evaluating their associations with dementia risk and other adverse outcomes. The insights derived from this study are vital for addressing the complex relationships between chronic pain management, analgesic use, and cognitive health.

For further details, refer to the original research: Regular use of opioids and dementia.