Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39682036›Full record

ArticleThe Clinical journal of pain2025

Occurrence of Opioid-Related Neurocognitive Symptoms Associated With Long-term Opioid Therapy.

Casey León, Minhee L Sung, Joel I Reisman, Weisong Liu, Robert D Kerns, Kirsha S Gordon, Avijit Mitra, Sunjae Kwon, Hong Yu, William C Becker and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Clinical journal of pain, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

11 authors.

Casey LeónDepartment of Public Health and Center for Health Statistics, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
Minhee L SungPain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education Center, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT.
Joel I ReismanCenter for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, Veterans Affairs Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA.
Weisong LiuCenter for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, Veterans Affairs Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA.
Robert D KernsPain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education Center, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT.
Kirsha S GordonPain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education Center, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT.
Avijit MitraCollege of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA.
Sunjae KwonCollege of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA.
Hong YuCenter for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, Veterans Affairs Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA.
William C BeckerPain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education Center, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT.
Wenjun LiDepartment of Public Health and Center for Health Statistics, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
Identifying Opioid Overdose Predictors using EHRsR01DA045816 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL · PI BECKER, WILLIAM C, LI, WENJUN · 2018 to 2022
$3.0M
Social and behavioral determinants of MOUD utilization and opioid overdoseR01DA056470 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL · PI Wenjun Li, DAVID A SMELSON · 2023 to 2026
$2.9M
HSRD VA I01 HX000281HSRD VA I01 HX003711NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA045816NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA056470
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveNeurocognitive symptoms (NCSs) may be early indicators of opioid-related harm. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and potential attribution of opioid-related NCS among patients on long-term opioid therapy (LOT) by using natural language processing to extract data from the electronic health records within the Veterans Health Administration.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients prescribed LOT in 2018. NCS were identified from clinical notes across 3 periods: 6 months before LOT initiation, during LOT, and 1-year post-LOT discontinuation. Opioid-related NCS included cognitive impairment, sedation, light-headedness, altered mental status, and intoxication. We calculated incidence rates, incidence rate ratios, and hazard ratios to evaluate the occurrence and potential opioid attribution of NCS across these periods.

resultsAmong 55,652 patients, 3.1% experienced opioid-related NCS, with the highest incidence observed during LOT. Prevalence of NCS was greater in patients who were: between 55 and 64 (3.6%) or 65 and 74 years old (3.2%), Asian (4.8%, P = 0.02), and had received treatment for substance use disorders (7.1%, P = 0.01). In adjusted proportional hazards models, identified Asian race (hazard ratio: 2.20 [95% CI: 1.09-4.44], P = 0.03), and cooccurring conditions dementia (1.50 [1.12-2.00], 0.01), depression (1.31 [1.14-1.49], <0.01), posttraumatic stress disorder (1.18 [1.02-1.37], 0.02), substance use disorder (1.62 [1.36-1.92], 0.01), cardiovascular disease (1.18 [1.01-1.37], 0.04), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.16 [1.01-1.33], 0.03), cirrhosis (1.73 [1.34-2.24], 0.01), chronic kidney disease (1.41 [1.19, 1.66]; 0.01) and traumatic brain injury (1.42 [1.06-1.91], 0.02) were associated with increased likelihood of NCS. Likelihood of NCS increased with LOT dose and decreased with LOT duration.

conclusionThis study suggests that opioid-related NCS are most likely to occur during LOT, indicating a potential temporal association with opioid use. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring NCS in patients on LOT as part of a broader strategy to mitigate opioid-related harms.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidCognitive DysfunctionNeurocognitive DisordersOpioid-Related DisordersAdultAgedFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsAnalgesics, Opioid

Identifiers

PMID39682036
PMCPMC11729567

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.