scholarly journals Opioid Prescribing in the Elderly: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Jassal ◽  
Greg Egan ◽  
Karen Dahri

Objective: To characterize the literature describing the therapeutic use of opioids in the elderly. Data Sources: Two electronic databases, EMBASE and MEDLINE, were searched from years 1990 to September 5, 2018. Relevant reference lists were reviewed. Searches were restricted to English language. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently screened 827 citations to identify observational studies, population-based cohort studies, retrospective analyses, and control trials looking at the management of persistent pain in patients aged ≥65 years and/or frail patients. Data Synthesis: Thirty-nine articles were included in the systematic review. More specifically, 17 observational studies, 7 population-based cohort studies, 10 retrospective analyses, and 4 controlled trials. The most common etiology of persistent pain was musculoskeletal (50%), and the most often adverse effects reported were central nervous system related (41%) and falls/fractures (39%). Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: As there is a lack of strong evidence-based recommendations for opioid use in the elderly, this review aims to evaluate opioid use in the elderly and compare their efficacy and safety among this population. Conclusions: Overall, central nervous system adverse effects were most commonly seen in the elderly. However, higher quality evidence is required to further appreciate the dose-related effects on efficacy and safety of opioids in the elderly.

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5557-5557
Author(s):  
Vidhya Nair ◽  
Hadi Mohammed ◽  
Sharmeen Mahmood ◽  
Pushpinderdeep Singh Kahlon ◽  
Philip Kuriakose

Background The mainstay of treatment for Multiple Myeloma (MM) includes various combinations of chemotherapy, which generally includes high dose steroids. The median age at diagnosis for MM is above 60 years. Patients above the age of 70 may not be considered for an auto peripheral blood transplant, resulting in being treated with chemotherapy alone. This often leads to a relatively long period of steroid exposure. Increasing age is a risk factor for decreased tolerance to steroids, and increased drug toxicity. As such, the steroid dose (usually Dexamethasone) is often considered for reduction in patients above a certain age. However, there are no clear guidelines regarding a standard dose to use in the elderly, nor is there uniformity among clinicians in the way doses are chosen. Purpose To assess a) the starting dose of Dexamethasone (dex) in the elderly, b) frequency of dose reduction of dexamethasone, c) adverse effects of dex treatment in the elderly with MM, and d) average time after dose reduction. Methods We performed a 10 year retrospective chart review on patients, age 70 or greater treated at Henry Ford Health System with a diagnosis of MM from 2000-2015. Patients were grouped by age 70-75 years, 76-80 years, and greater than 80 years based on when treatment was initiated. We investigated the starting treatment dose of dex, ranging from 1-20 mg weekly and 21-40 mg weekly. Secondly, we assessed for the occurrence of dose reduction; and, if present, the length of time to reducing the dose. Lastly, the types of adverse effects to dex leading to dose reduction were grouped by system, such as, central nervous system, musculoskeletal, endocrine, gastrointestinal and psychiatric. Data collected was categorical, thus, no statistical tests were performed as this was a descriptive study. Results A total of 150 patients were reviewed and 91 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these patients, 8 (8.8%) were started at doses between 1-20 mg and majority (62.5%) were ages 70-75, thus, there was no relation between lower starting dose and age. Of the 91 patients, 24 (26.4%) had a dose reduction and 11 (12.1%) had both chemotherapy and dex discontinued prior to therapy completion. Majority (87.5%) of patients that had a dose reduction were initially started at 40 mg. The reasons for dose reduction included adverse effects grouped by musculoskeletal (29.17%), psychiatric (16.67%), endocrine (12.3%), central nervous system (4.17%), and gastrointestinal (4.17%). Of note, 8 patients (33.3%) had dose reductions as result of their clinical trial requirement. The average length of dex therapy before dose reduction was 17.2 months. Conclusion The majority of elderly patients (age 70 or above) with MM tolerated full doses of dex without adverse effects. Secondly, there was no relation between lower starting dose for dex and advanced age. However, since there were limited patients (n=8) who started at a low dose, other than those on clinical trials, we were not able to do a comparison of starting doses. But we were able to show that the majority of patients tolerated full dose, despite their age. The most frequent cause of steroid toxicity was musculoskeletal, such as leg swelling. On average, elderly patients were able to tolerate full dose of dex for over 1 year prior to requiring a dose reduction. Summary Our data demonstrates no correlation between advanced age in MM and lack of tolerability of high dose steroids. In conclusion, current findings do not justify reduced doses solely based on age alone. Future studies could include investigating statistical analysis on steroid exposure and survivorship. Disclosures Kuriakose: Alexion: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy.


2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Jiayuan Guo ◽  
Xuefei Sun ◽  
Yuanbo Liu ◽  
Chunji Gao

ObjectiveThe reviewed literature supports a treatment regimen for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) that includes induction chemotherapy, followed by one consolidation therapy. High-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) is the most studied option, but its effects are controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ASCT for newly diagnosed PCNSL by means of a meta-analysis.MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for studies published until May 20, 2021. Included studies were prospective studies of patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL treated with ASCT. The pooled rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for all outcomes. Subgroup analysis was conducted to compare the relative risk (RR) with 95% CIs for the complete remission (CR) rate and the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).ResultsThirteen prospective studies including 348 patients were analyzed. The pooled CR rate, overall response rate, and relapse rate were 80% (95% CI, 71–88%, I2 = 67.06%, p = 0.00), 95% (95% CI, 87–100%, I2 = 73.65%, p= 0.00), and 19% (95% CI, 15–24%, I2 = 76.18%, p = 0.00), respectively. The pooled 2- and 5-year PFS and OS rates were 74% (95% CI, 68–80%, I2 = 3.90%), 65% (95% CI, 51–77%, I2 = 74.61%), 80% (95% CI, 72–88%, I2 = 57.54%), and 69% (95% CI, 53–83%, I2 = 83.89%), respectively. Hematological toxicity and infections were more common adverse events above grade 3. The pooled treatment-related mortality was 3% (95% CI, 1–6%, I2 = 28.18%, p = 0.16). In the group analysis of ASCT compared with whole-brain radiotherapy, there were no significant differences in the CR rate (RR, 1.00, 95% CI, 0.88–1.14, p = 0.971), relapse rate (RR, 0.44, 95% CI, 0.06–3.10, p = 0.408), PFS (HR, 1.28, 95% CI, 0.81–2.01, p = 0.29), or OS (HR, 1.62, 95% CI, 0.97–2.69, p = 0.06). Cognitive functions were preserved or improved after ASCT.ConclusionsASCT is a feasible approach for consolidation with good tolerability for newly diagnosed PCNSL patients. High-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm the effects of ASCT.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42021268422.


Author(s):  
Prateek Kumar Panda ◽  
Pragnya Panda ◽  
Lesa Dawman ◽  
Rakesh Kumar Sihag ◽  
Indar Kumar Sharawat

Thalidomide, an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent, has a potential role in cases with central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) with paradoxical reactions. Although several articles have described the use of thalidomide in CNS-TB, no systematic review has been performed in this regard. Different electronic databases were searched for articles describing the use of thalidomide in patients with CNS-TB. For determining pooled estimates in the quantitative review, studies with a minimum sample size of 5 were only considered, whereas for qualitative synthesis even single case reports were included. Fixed or random effect models were used suitably depending on the degree of heterogeneity. Fourteen articles describing a total of 107 patients (98 children and 9 adults) were selected from 156 records. A favorable clinical response was observed in 89% of patients with CNS-TB who had paradoxical reactions refractory to corticosteroids. Majority of the studies used a dose of 2–6 mg/kg/day and around 24% suffered from at least one adverse effect, with a mortality of 5%. Predominant adverse effects were rash (9.5%), neuropathy (6%), and elevated liver transaminases (9.5%). Only one placebo-controlled trial has been performed till now, which showed that high-dose thalidomide has numerous adverse effects, without any clinically significant improvement as compared with placebo. While in HIV-positive patients with TB-immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome thalidomide was helpful in around 82% of cases. Low-dose thalidomide is helpful in patients with CNS-TB who had a paradoxical reaction and unresponsive to corticosteroids. Large, randomized trials are needed to provide more concrete information regarding the safety and efficacy of thalidomide.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna von Plato ◽  
Vesa Kontinen ◽  
Katri Hamunen

AbstractBackground and aims:Treatment of pain following major limb amputations is often a clinical challenge in a patient population consisting mainly of elderly with underlying diseases. Literature on management of acute post-amputation pain is scarce. We performed a systematic review on this topic to evaluate the efficacy and safety of analgesic interventions for acute pain following major limb amputation.Methods:A literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews using the following key words: [(amputation) AND (pain OR analgesi* OR pain relief)] AND (acute OR postoperative). Randomized controlled studies (RCTs) and observational studies investigating treatment of acute pain following major amputations for any indication (peripheral vascular disease, malignant disease, trauma) were included. The review was performed according to the standards described in the PRISMA statement. The Cochrane quality assessment tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the RCTs.Results:Nineteen studies with total of 949 patients were included. The studies were generally small and heterogeneous on outcomes, study designs and quality. There were 16 studies on epidural or continuous perineural analgesia (CPI). Based on five RCTs (n=268) and two observational studies (n=49), epidural analgesia decreased the intensity of acute stump pain as compared to systemic analgesics, during the first 24 h after the operation. Based on one study epidural analgesia caused more adverse effects like sedation, nausea and motor block than continuous perineural local anesthetic infusion. Based on one RCT (n=21) and eight observational studies (n=501) CPI seemed to decrease opioid consumption as compared to systemic analgesics only, on the first three postoperative days, and was well tolerated. Only three trials investigated systemic analgesics (oral memantine, oral gabapentine, iv ketamine). Ketamine did not decrease acute pain or opioid consumption after amputation as compared to other systemic analgesics. Gabapentin did not decrease acute pain when combined to epidural analgesia as compared to epidural analgesia and opioid treatment, and caused adverse effects.Conclusions:The main finding of this systematic review is that evidence regarding pain management after major limb amputation is very limited. Epidural analgesia may be effective, but firm evidence is lacking. Epidural causes more adverse effects than CPI. The results on efficacy of CPI are indecisive. The data on adjuvant medications combined to epidural analgesia or CPI is limited. Studies on efficacy and adverse effects of systemic analgesics for amputation pain, especially concentrating on elderly patients, are needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S521-S521
Author(s):  
M Khorshid Fasge ◽  
A Cordie ◽  
S Abd-Elsalam

Abstract Background This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to estimate the safety and effectiveness of ustekinumab in the treatment for Crohn’s disease (CD) in clinical trials and observational studies. Methods We retrieved all the related publications from PubMed, Cochrane, EBSCO, Google Scholar and EMBASE using a systematic search strategy. We only included the clinical trials and observational studies that were published in English. Results Only 31 studies that met the eligibility criteria out of the 733 identified studies were included. Twenty-one studies reported the clinical response rate; three of these were clinical trials, and the other 18 were cohort studies. The overall clinical response rate in the cohort studies was 0.539, 95% CI (0.419–0.659) with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 96.22%, P < 0.001) and that in the clinical trials was 0.428, 95% CI (0.356–0.501). The pooled clinical remission rate was 0.399, 95% CI (0.295–0.503) in randomised control trials (RCTs) and 0.440, 95% CI (0.339–0.542) in cohort studies. Twenty-one studies reported the incidence of adverse effects. The rate of adverse effects was 0.158, 95% CI (0.109–0.207) in cohort studies and 0.690, 95% CI (0.633–0.748) in RCTs. Three RCTs had an infection rate of 0.275, 95% CI (0.245–0.295), while the 18 cohort studies had a rate of 0.076, 95% CI (0.047–0.105). Only ten studies reported the incidence of injection or infusion reaction; it was 0.035, 95% CI (0.027–0.043) for RCTs and 0.012, 95% CI (0.002–0.022) for cohort studies. Conclusion Ustekinumab is effective in the treatment of CD. However, more research is required on the safety profiles because there was considerable variation among the included studies.


2021 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-103140
Author(s):  
Rodney K Dishman ◽  
Cillian P McDowell ◽  
Matthew Payton Herring

ObjectiveTo explore whether physical activity is inversely associated with the onset of depression, we quantified the cumulative association of customary physical activity with incident depression and with an increase in subclinical depressive symptoms over time as reported from prospective observational studies.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesMEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and CINAHL Complete databases, supplemented by Google Scholar.Eligibility criteriaProspective cohort studies in adults, published prior to January 2020, reporting associations between physical activity and depression.Study appraisal and synthesisMultilevel random-effects meta-analysis was performed adjusting for study and cohort or region. Mixed-model meta-regression of putative modifiers.ResultsSearches yielded 111 reports including over 3 million adults sampled from 11 nations in five continents. Odds of incident cases of depression or an increase in subclinical depressive symptoms were reduced after exposure to physical activity (OR, 95% CI) in crude (0.69, 0.63 to 0.75; I2=93.7) and adjusted (0.79, 0.75 to 0.82; I2=87.6) analyses. Results were materially the same for incident depression and subclinical symptoms. Odds were lower after moderate or vigorous physical activity that met public health guidelines than after light physical activity. These odds were also lower when exposure to physical activity increased over time during a study period compared with the odds when physical activity was captured as a single baseline measure of exposure.ConclusionCustomary and increasing levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in observational studies are inversely associated with incident depression and the onset of subclinical depressive symptoms among adults regardless of global region, gender, age or follow-up period.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2065
Author(s):  
Irene Cortés-Pérez ◽  
Noelia Zagalaz-Anula ◽  
Desirée Montoro-Cárdenas ◽  
Rafael Lomas-Vega ◽  
Esteban Obrero-Gaitán ◽  
...  

Leap Motion Controller (LMC) is a virtual reality device that can be used in the rehabilitation of central nervous system disease (CNSD) motor impairments. This review aimed to evaluate the effect of video game-based therapy with LMC on the recovery of upper extremity (UE) motor function in patients with CNSD. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed in PubMed Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and PEDro. We included five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with CNSD in which LMC was used as experimental therapy compared to conventional therapy (CT) to restore UE motor function. Pooled effects were estimated with Cohen’s standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). At first, in patients with stroke, LMC showed low-quality evidence of a large effect on UE mobility (SMD = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.47, 1.45). In combination with CT, LMC showed very low-quality evidence of a large effect on UE mobility (SMD = 1.34; 95% CI = 0.49, 2.19) and the UE mobility-oriented task (SMD = 1.26; 95% CI = 0.42, 2.10). Second, in patients with non-acute CNSD (cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease), LMC showed low-quality evidence of a medium effect on grip strength (GS) (SMD = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.90) and on gross motor dexterity (GMD) (SMD = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.28, 1.17) in the most affected UE. In combination with CT, LMC showed very low-quality evidence of a high effect in the most affected UE on GMD (SMD = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.06, 1.15) and fine motor dexterity (FMD) (SMD = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.07, 1.57). In stroke, LMC improved UE mobility and UE mobility-oriented tasks, and in non-acute CNSD, LMC improved the GS and GMD of the most affected UE and FMD when it was used with CT.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1450
Author(s):  
Yoann Maitre ◽  
Rachid Mahalli ◽  
Pierre Micheneau ◽  
Alexis Delpierre ◽  
Marie Guerin ◽  
...  

This systematic review aims to identify probiotics and prebiotics for modulating oral bacterial species associated with mental disorders. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guideline, we search the electronic MEDLINE database published till January 2021 to identify the studies on probiotics and/or prebiotics for preventing and treating major oral dysbiosis that provokes mental disorders. The outcome of the search produces 374 records. After excluding non-relevant studies, 38 papers were included in the present review. While many studies suggest the potential effects of the oral microbiota on the biochemical signalling events between the oral microbiota and central nervous system, our review highlights the limited development concerning the use of prebiotics and/or probiotics in modulating oral dysbiosis potentially involved in the development of mental disorders. However, the collected studies confirm prebiotics and/or probiotics interest for a global or targeted modulation of the oral microbiome in preventing or treating mental disorders. These outcomes also offer exciting prospects for improving the oral health of people with mental disorders in the future.


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