ArticleEuropean journal of pain (London, England)2022
Trends in opioid utilization in Hungary, 2006-2020: A nationwide retrospective study with multiple metrics.
Article in European journal of pain (London, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Global under- and overprescribing of drugs-a scoping review.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- Morphinan Alkaloids and Their Transformations: A Historical Perspective of a Century of Opioid Research in Hungary.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Opioid Utilisation in Hungary: National and Regional Analysis in Ambulatory and Hospital Care Sector.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Factors influencing pain medication and opioid use in patients with musculoskeletal injuries: a retrospective insurance claims database study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Trends in opioid utilization in Hungary, 2006-2020: A nationwide retrospective study with multiple metrics.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2022Article
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11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundOpioid use is well documented in several countries: some countries struggle with overuse, whereas others have almost no access to opioids. For Europe, limited data are available. This study analysed Hungarian opioid utilization in ambulatory care between 2006 and 2020.
methodsWe obtained national drug utilization data on reimbursed opioid analgesics (ATC code: N02A) from a national health insurance database for a 15-year period. We investigated utilization trends, using three volume-based metrics [defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID), oral morphine equivalent per 1000 inhabitants per day, packages dispensed per 1000 inhabitants per year]. We stratified data based on administration routes, analgesic potency and reimbursement categories.
resultsTotal opioid utilization increased during the study period according to all three metrics (74% in DID) and reached 5.31 DID by 2020. Upward trends were driven by an increase both in weak and strong opioid use (79% vs. 53%). The most commonly used opioids were fentanyl (in the strong category; 0.76 DID in 2020) and tramadol (in the weak category; 2.62 DID in 2020). Overall, tramadol was also the most commonly used opioid throughout the study period. Oral administration of opioid medications was dominant. Based on reimbursement categories, musculoskeletal pain was becoming a more frequent indication for opioid use (1552% increase in DID), while opioid use for cancer pain declined significantly during the study period (-33% in DID).
conclusionsOur low utilization numbers might indicate underuse of opioid analgesia, especially for cancer pain. SIGNIFICANCE: This study was one of the recent opioid utilization studies using three volume-based metrics, covering a long time period. To our knowledge, this was also the first national, population level study describing opioid utilization in Hungary. National opioid utilization data suggested not an overuse but rather an underuse of opioid analgesics in a developed, Central European country.
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