Prevalence of opioid use in adults with spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2025 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2024.2319384 · Published: February 29, 2024

Simple Explanation

This study investigates how often adults with spinal cord injuries (SCI) use opioid medications. Opioids are often prescribed for pain, but their use can lead to risks like addiction and breathing problems. Researchers analyzed data from 38 studies involving over 50,000 SCI patients to determine the prevalence of opioid use and associated factors. The study found that opioid use is common among adults with SCI, but there's a need for more consistent reporting of information like dosage and injury characteristics to better understand opioid use in this population.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

50,473 adults with spinal cord injury

Evidence Level

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Key Findings

1
The pooled prevalence of opioid use among adults with SCI was 39%.
2
The pooled prevalence of opioid use was highest for the first year following SCI at 65%.
3
Pooled prevalence was 55% for short-acting opioids and 17% for long-acting opioids.

Research Summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of opioid use among adults with SCI living in the community. The analysis included 38 studies with a total cohort size of 50,473 individuals. The study found a pooled prevalence of opioid use of 39%, but noted high heterogeneity across the included studies. Subgroup analyses showed variations in prevalence based on data collection method and time since injury. The review highlights a need for additional studies with more consistent reporting of outcomes and injury characteristics to improve understanding of opioid use in this population.

Practical Implications

Standardized Reporting

Future studies should adhere to standardized reporting of injury characteristics to contextualize opioid use effectively.

Subpopulation Focus

Greater emphasis should be placed on analyzing subpopulations within SCI cohorts, particularly regarding injury etiology.

In-depth Opioid Information

Future research needs to provide a more detailed picture of opioid use, including dosage and prevalence over shorter timeframes.

Study Limitations

1
Potential exclusion of relevant articles published in non-English languages.
2
Smaller number of included studies and high heterogeneity across study populations.
3
Limited generalizability of findings due to the strong representation of North American data.

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