Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33569492›Full record

ArticleERJ open research2021

Indications and patterns of use of benzodiazepines and opioids in severe interstitial lung disease: a population-based longitudinal study.

Jenny Genberg, Joanna M Davies, Zainab Ahmadi, David Currow, Miriam J Johnson, Hanan Tanash, Sabrina Bajwah, Magnus Ekström

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ERJ open research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Jenny GenbergFaculty of Science and Technology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Joanna M DaviesCicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, London, UK.
Zainab AhmadiDivision of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Dept of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
David CurrowIMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
Miriam J JohnsonWolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK.
Hanan TanashDept of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology Malmö, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Sabrina BajwahCicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5338-8107
Magnus EkströmDivision of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Dept of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7227-5113
Lund University · SEKing's College London · GBUmeå University · SEUniversity of Hull · GBUniversity of Technology Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite evidence that opioids might relieve chronic breathlessness, physicians may still be reluctant to prescribe them due to safety concerns. By contrast, benzodiazepine (BDZ) prescribing often seeks to reduce chronic breathlessness despite no evidence of net benefit. Prescribing patterns and indications for these medications in severe interstitial lung disease (ILD) are unknown. Here, our objective was to evaluate the indications, medications and temporal patterns of BDZ and opioid prescriptions in people with oxygen-dependent ILD.

methodsThis was an observational, population-based, longitudinal study of adults starting long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) for ILD between 2005 and 2014 in the Swedish National Registry for Respiratory Failure (Swedevox). People dispensed BDZs (n=2000) and opioids (n=2000) from 6 months before start of LTOT throughout follow-up (first of death or study end) were analysed.

resultsOf 1635 included patients, 651 (39.8%) received BDZs and 710 (43.4%) received opioids during the study period; 373 (22.8%) patients received both. The most frequently prescribed BDZs and opioids were oxazepam (85.6%) and oxycodone (28.7%), respectively. Indications for breathlessness were uncommon for BDZs (1.4%) and opioids (6.4%). During the last year of life, opioid indications for breathlessness increased from 2.5% (12-10 months before death) to 10.2% in the last 3 months of life (p=0.048).

conclusionsIn oxygen-dependent ILD, opioids are rarely prescribed for breathlessness even in the last months of life, when chronic breathlessness often increases in prevalence and intensity.

Identifiers

PMID33569492
PMCPMC7861020
OpenAlexW3113927416

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.