Association of Opioid Use With Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors: Evidence From the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Objective To investigate the association between opioid drug use and cardiometabolic risk factors in an adult sample data acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed using the data from the NHANES for the period 2009-2018 provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), amounting to a total of N = 10,032 eligible participants. The data were analyzed to study the relationship between opioid drug use (dividing into four dichotomy groups: drug use (DU) group, illicit drug use (IDU) group, repeated drug use (RDU) group, and current drug use (CDU) group) and cardiometabolic disease risk factors (CDRF) (i.e., hypertension, abnormal triglyceride levels, low-level of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), high waist circumference, insulin resistance, serum cotinine levels, higher C-reactive protein, hypercholesterolemia, and increased BMI). The statistical correlation was evaluated using the chi-square analysis, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Alcohol use, age, race, ethnicity, education level, and poverty to income ratio (PIR) were analyzed as covariates. Results Overall, our analysis found that males were more likely than females (p ≤ 0.001) to have ever reported using drugs at least once in their lifetime. In fact, males were more likely than females to report ever using cocaine (p = 0.01), heroin (p = 0.01), and marijuana (p = 0.01). Additionally, males were significantly more likely than females to disclose the current use of illicit drugs (p = 0.002), and also tend to have consumed more with at least 12 alcoholic beverages per year (p < 0.001). Overall, we found no association between substance use and having a cluster of three or more CDRF variables for both males and females. Conclusion Study results highlight the prevalence of gender differences in DU and its reporting. With the rising popularity of illicit drugs, clinicians must be aware of its association with CDRF.

Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Substance Dependence: A Cross-sectional Study in Kenya

“…Approximately a third of the sampled population had increased waist circumference with 12% having low HDL. These ndings correlate with those of Shah et al [22] who showed that history of ever use of any drug was associated with increased odds of elevated waist circumference and decreased odds of having low HDL.…”

Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Substance Dependence: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kenya

“…Approximately a third of the sampled population had increased waist circumference with 12% having low HDL. These findings correlate with those of [22] who showed that history of ever use of any drug was associated with increased odds of elevated waist circumference and decreased odds of having low HDL.…”

Aberrant Feeding and Growth in Neonates With Prenatal Opioid Exposure: Evidence of Neuromodulation and Behavioral Changes

“…Other studies showed a less clear linkage between OUD and metabolic syndrome. A retrospective cross-sectional study of 10,032 subjects showed that drug use was linked to a higher waist circumference but did not find a significant association between drug use and clusters of three or more cardiometabolic disease risk factors (impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and central adiposity) (9). Complicating this linkage is that adults with OUD have multiple life stressors and psychiatric comorbidities that may contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome (34,35).…”

“…Rodents exposed to opioids develop drug-induced obesity and DM type 2 (6), while administration of opioid antagonists reduces opioid craving and appetite for palatable food leading to weight loss (7,8). The exact mechanisms by which drug addiction and metabolic syndrome are linked together are of growing interest, with some reporting no direct association (9), while others reporting disrupted reward circuitry, i.e., dopamine receptors, as a common denominator between opioid addiction, food dependence and obesity (10)(11)(12). To close this knowledge gap, our laboratory examines the expression of hypothalamic and reward genes that regulate feeding behavior in opioidexposed neonates, with evidence of abnormal reward signaling and behavioral changes that may predispose these neonates to long-term growth and metabolic issues (13).…”