Incidence of Long-term Opioid Use among Opioid-Naive Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa in the United States

Abstract

Importance: Risk of long-term opioid use among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), who experience pain that substantially impairs quality of life, is unknown to date. Objective: To compare overall and subgroup incidence of long-term opioid use in a population of opioid-naive patients with HS and control patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was based on a demographically heterogeneous population-based sample of more than 56 million unique patients from January 1, 2008, through December 10, 2018. Patients with HS (n = 22277) and controls (n = 828832) were identified using electronic health records data. Data were analyzed from December 13, 2018, through January 28, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was incident long-term opioid use. Results: Among the 22 277 patients with HS, mean (SD) age was 40.8 (14.6) years, 16 912 (75.9%) were women, and 13 190 (59.2%) were white. Crude 1-year incidence of long-term opioid use among opioid-naive patients with HS was 0.33% (74 of 22 277), compared with 0.14% (1168 of 828 832) among controls (P