Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy. Analysis of national opioids database

Luca Miceli; Rym Bednarova; Alessandro Rizzardo; Arturo Cuomo; Ilaria Riccardi; Luigi Vetrugno; Tiziana Bove; Marco Cascella

doi:10.4415/ANN_18_04_15

Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy. Analysis of national opioids database

Luca Miceli, Rym Bednarova, Alessandro Rizzardo, Arturo Cuomo, Ilaria Riccardi, Luigi Vetrugno, Tiziana Bove, Marco Cascella

Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione G. Pascale

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An "epidemic use" of legal opioids in the USA and other countries has been reported in the last 15 years. We have analysed the database of the Italian Ministry of Health regarding the prescription of opioids for pain management to verify the trend of opioids uses in Italy.

METHODS: The amount of opioids prescribed for every single Italian patient in 2013 was anonymously recorded and transformed in daily MED (morphine equivalent dose). We considered every monthly percentage increase of MED during the entire period of chronic therapy for each patient.

RESULTS: Classes of dosage increase for all patients in chronic therapy, distinguished between cancer and non-cancer ones, were created. We deduce that decreases or increases of small proportions prevailed in the observation period.

CONCLUSIONS: The opioids "plague" that is striking the USA is not registered in Italy during the observation period. The reasons might be due to the innovative and effective law 38/2010 and a health care system able to guarantee appropriate prescriptions for major analgesics.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	370-374
Number of pages	5
Journal	Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita
Volume	54
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4415/ANN_18_04_15
Publication status	Published - Dec 24 2018

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title = "Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy. Analysis of national opioids database",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: An {"}epidemic use{"} of legal opioids in the USA and other countries has been reported in the last 15 years. We have analysed the database of the Italian Ministry of Health regarding the prescription of opioids for pain management to verify the trend of opioids uses in Italy.METHODS: The amount of opioids prescribed for every single Italian patient in 2013 was anonymously recorded and transformed in daily MED (morphine equivalent dose). We considered every monthly percentage increase of MED during the entire period of chronic therapy for each patient.RESULTS: Classes of dosage increase for all patients in chronic therapy, distinguished between cancer and non-cancer ones, were created. We deduce that decreases or increases of small proportions prevailed in the observation period.CONCLUSIONS: The opioids {"}plague{"} that is striking the USA is not registered in Italy during the observation period. The reasons might be due to the innovative and effective law 38/2010 and a health care system able to guarantee appropriate prescriptions for major analgesics.",

author = "Luca Miceli and Rym Bednarova and Alessandro Rizzardo and Arturo Cuomo and Ilaria Riccardi and Luigi Vetrugno and Tiziana Bove and Marco Cascella",

year = "2018",

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doi = "10.4415/ANN_18_04_15",

language = "English",

volume = "54",

pages = "370--374",

journal = "Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita",

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number = "4",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction

T2 - a one-year survey in Italy. Analysis of national opioids database

AU - Miceli, Luca

AU - Bednarova, Rym

AU - Rizzardo, Alessandro

AU - Cuomo, Arturo

AU - Riccardi, Ilaria

AU - Vetrugno, Luigi

AU - Bove, Tiziana

AU - Cascella, Marco

PY - 2018/12/24

Y1 - 2018/12/24

N2 - BACKGROUND: An "epidemic use" of legal opioids in the USA and other countries has been reported in the last 15 years. We have analysed the database of the Italian Ministry of Health regarding the prescription of opioids for pain management to verify the trend of opioids uses in Italy.METHODS: The amount of opioids prescribed for every single Italian patient in 2013 was anonymously recorded and transformed in daily MED (morphine equivalent dose). We considered every monthly percentage increase of MED during the entire period of chronic therapy for each patient.RESULTS: Classes of dosage increase for all patients in chronic therapy, distinguished between cancer and non-cancer ones, were created. We deduce that decreases or increases of small proportions prevailed in the observation period.CONCLUSIONS: The opioids "plague" that is striking the USA is not registered in Italy during the observation period. The reasons might be due to the innovative and effective law 38/2010 and a health care system able to guarantee appropriate prescriptions for major analgesics.

AB - BACKGROUND: An "epidemic use" of legal opioids in the USA and other countries has been reported in the last 15 years. We have analysed the database of the Italian Ministry of Health regarding the prescription of opioids for pain management to verify the trend of opioids uses in Italy.METHODS: The amount of opioids prescribed for every single Italian patient in 2013 was anonymously recorded and transformed in daily MED (morphine equivalent dose). We considered every monthly percentage increase of MED during the entire period of chronic therapy for each patient.RESULTS: Classes of dosage increase for all patients in chronic therapy, distinguished between cancer and non-cancer ones, were created. We deduce that decreases or increases of small proportions prevailed in the observation period.CONCLUSIONS: The opioids "plague" that is striking the USA is not registered in Italy during the observation period. The reasons might be due to the innovative and effective law 38/2010 and a health care system able to guarantee appropriate prescriptions for major analgesics.

U2 - 10.4415/ANN_18_04_15

DO - 10.4415/ANN_18_04_15

M3 - Article

C2 - 30575575

VL - 54

SP - 370

EP - 374

JO - Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita

JF - Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita

SN - 0021-2571

IS - 4

ER -

Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy. Analysis of national opioids database

Abstract

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