The Prevalence of Chronic Opioid Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Danish Register-Based Study Over a 25-Year Period of Time.

BACKGROUND: Despite the common use of opioids in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there are limited studies on the prevalence of chronic opioid use in this population. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide Danish register-based study to examine the prevalence proportion of chronic opioid use in patients with IBD from 1996 to 2021. Analysis was performed for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and stratified by sex and age groups of young adults (18-39 years), adults (40-59 years), and elderly (+60 years). RESULTS: A total of 51 837 patients with IBD were identified. The prevalence proportion of chronic opioid use increased from 1996 and reached the highest point at 14.26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.67%-14.84%) for patients with CD in 2011 and 8.21% (95% CI, 7.88%-8.54%) in patients with UC in 2012. Subsequently, the prevalence proportion of chronic opioid use decreased to 8.88% (95% CI, 8.41%-9.35%) in patients with CD and 4.96% (95% CI, 4.70%-5.21%) in patients with UC by 2021. Throughout the 25-year period, female patients had higher prevalence proportion of chronic opioid use compared with that of male patients. Elderly patients had higher prevalence proportion of chronic opioid use compared with that of adult and young adult patients. DISCUSSIONS: Many patients with IBD rely on chronic opioid use as part of their pain management. Further investigations are needed to study the complications and sequelae of chronic opioid use in patients with IBD.