ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2015
Hepatitis C virus infection and pain sensitivity in patients on methadone or buprenorphine maintenance therapy for opioid use disorders.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quantitative sensory testing of pain in persons with opioid use disorder on opioid agonist treatment: a scoping review.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2026Article
- Perceived social support in patients with chronic pain with and without opioid use disorder and role of medication for opioid use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Article
- Increased Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Chronic Pain Patients Who Developed Opioid Use Disorder.The Clinical journal of pain · 2020Article
- Chronic pain, craving, and illicit opioid use among patients receiving opioid agonist therapy.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPatients with opioid use disorders on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) have lower pain tolerance compared to controls. While chronic viral infections such as HCV and HIV have been associated with chronic pain in this population, no studies have examined their impact on pain sensitivity.
methodsWe recruited 106 adults (41 uninfected controls; 40 HCV mono-infected; and 25 HCV/HIV co-infected) on buprenorphine or methadone to assess whether HCV infection (with or without HIV) was associated with increased experimental pain sensitivity and self-reported pain. The primary outcome was cold pain tolerance assessed by cold-pressor test. Secondary outcomes were cold pain thresholds, wind-up ratios to repetitive mechanical stimulation (i.e., temporal summation) and acute and chronic pain. Multivariable regression models evaluated associations between viral infection status and outcomes, adjusting for other factors.
resultsNo significant differences were detected across groups for primary or secondary outcomes. Adjusted mean cold pain tolerance was 25.7 (uninfected controls) vs. 26.8 (HCV mono-infection) vs. 25.3 (HCV/HIV co-infection) seconds (global p-value=0.93). Current pain appeared more prevalent among HCV mono-infected (93%) compared to HCV/HIV co-infected participants (76%) and uninfected controls (80%), as did chronic pain (77% vs. 64% vs. 61%, respectively). However, differences were not statistically significant in multivariable models.
conclusionThis study did not detect an association between HCV infection and increased sensitivity to pain among adults with and without HIV who were treated with buprenorphine or methadone for opioid use disorders. Results reinforce that pain and hyperalgesia are common problems in this population.
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Registered trials
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