Opioid use in patients presenting with pain in Zahedan, Islamic Republic of Iran

Abstract

To study the prevalence and factors associated with opioid use in pain, 480 consecutive patients with a chief complaint of pain were interviewed at 10 clinics in Zahedan. The data were analysed in relation to 18 possible associated factors. The prevalence of opioid use was 28.5% in patients presenting with pain. There was no significant relation between opioid use and chronic pain [>/= 6 months], but there was a relationship with the following 5 factors:previous opioid use by friends [72.9% versus 20.4% without friends using], occupation [58.5% private sector employees/self-employed versus 17.4% housewives], cigarette smoking [60.8% versus 21.8% not smoking], consultation for a psychological problem [38.3% versus 23.3% without], and death of a spouse [60.0% versus 26.1% without]

The Prevalence of Opioid Analgesic Use in People with Chronic Noncancer Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

“…The proportion of people with chronic noncancer pain in low-income and middle-income countries who use an opioid remains unclear. We found no studies reporting opioid use in low-income countries and only four studies from middle-income countries: three from the uppermiddle-income countries of Brazil [58] and Iran [71,72] and one from a lower-middle-income country of India [70]. The range of opioid use estimates from middleincome countries (3% [58] to 26% [72]) was less than estimates from high-income countries (3% [75] to 72% [62]).…”

“…We found no studies reporting opioid use in low-income countries and only four studies from middle-income countries: three from the uppermiddle-income countries of Brazil [58] and Iran [71,72] and one from a lower-middle-income country of India [70]. The range of opioid use estimates from middleincome countries (3% [58] to 26% [72]) was less than estimates from high-income countries (3% [75] to 72% [62]). This contrasts with the known higher prevalence of chronic pain in low-income and middle-income countries (33% [84]) compared with global estimates (20% [1]).…”

“…Studies were published from 1997 to 2019. Studies were mainly from the United States (n¼33) [10,, with other studies from Australia [54][55][56], Belgium [57], Brazil [58], Canada [59], Chile [60], England [61], Denmark [9,[62][63][64][65][66][67], Germany [68,69], India [70], Iran [71,72], Israel [73], Norway [74], Portugal [75], Spain [76], The Netherlands [77], and/or from multiple countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK) [78]. Four studies were from middle-income countries [58,[70][71][72], and no studies were from low-income countries.…”

“…Studies were mainly from the United States (n¼33) [10,, with other studies from Australia [54][55][56], Belgium [57], Brazil [58], Canada [59], Chile [60], England [61], Denmark [9,[62][63][64][65][66][67], Germany [68,69], India [70], Iran [71,72], Israel [73], Norway [74], Portugal [75], Spain [76], The Netherlands [77], and/or from multiple countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK) [78]. Four studies were from middle-income countries [58,[70][71][72], and no studies were from low-income countries. Approximately half the studies (n¼31) were of specific chronic noncancer pain subpopulations, most commonly low back pain [10,25,28,31,32,35,38,46,48], followed by fibromyalgia [40,43,44,51,53,68], osteoarthritis…”

Frequency and Predictors of Opioid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Seronegative Spondyloarthropathy Patients

“…However, in a study conducted to investigate the frequency of opium abuse in patients with painful diseases in Iran, a short period of pain or chronic pain was not recognized as a predictor of drug addiction. 13 In short, delay in starting an effective treatment or applying effective DMARDs makes patients prone to drug addiction. 14 …”