SynthesisSchmerz (Berlin, Germany)2011
Meta-analysis of dropout rates in randomized controlled clinical trials: opioid analgesia for osteoarthritis pain.
Synthesis in Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of different curcumin formulations in osteoarthritis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Safety of Opioids in Osteoarthritis: Outcomes of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Drugs & aging · 2019Pooled it
- Oral or transdermal opioids for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Gabapentin versus Transdermal Fentanyl Matrix for the Alleviation of Chronic Neuropathic Pain of Radicular Origin: A Randomized Blind Multicentered Parallel-Group Noninferiority Trial.Pain research & management · 2019Trial
- Study adherence in a tDCS longitudinal clinical trial with people with spinal cord injury.Spinal cord · 2018Trial
- Does opioid therapy enhance quality of life in patients suffering from chronic non-malignant pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of pain · 2024Article
- [Cannabinoids reduce opioid use in older patients with pain : Retrospective three-year analysis of data from a general practice].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Article
- Review
- Agreement of general practitioners with the guideline-based stepped-care strategy for patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee: a cross-sectional study.BMC family practice · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe interpretation of opioid studies in patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis is limited by a high dropout rate. Therefore, the implication of dropouts on the recommendation of opioids in chronic osteoarthritis pain was analyzed. DATA SOURCES: The databases of Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Internet from 1990-2009 were searched. STUDY SELECTION: Two independent authors included randomized controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of chronic opioid treatment for the management of osteoarthritis pain. In order to calculate the odds ratio, only placebo-controlled trials were included. DATA EXTRACTION: The primary outcome parameter was the dropout rate. Secondarily, the effect size was calculated. Data extraction was conducted by two independent authors.
resultsA total of 19 studies reporting results of 3,871 treatment and 2,080 placebo outcomes were retrieved. Compared to placebo, opioid treatment was associated with a significantly increased total dropout rate (OR = 1.3, 95%CI 1.2-1.4). Discontinuation of treatment was related to adverse events (OR = 4.0, 95%CI 3.4-4.6). Lack of analgesia was associated with a significantly reduced dropout rate in opioid groups (OR = 0.4, 95%CI 0.3-0.5). Analgesic effects were significantly better in opioid-treated patients (p = 0.01).
conclusionIn spite of analgesic effects, many osteoarthritis patients prefer to stop chronic opioid use, because of adverse events. Therefore, opioids are not generally recommended in osteoarthritis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.