Use of pain relieving drugs in community-dwelling older people with and without type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Aims: To analyze the use of pain medication among community-dwelling people aged 65 years or older with and without type 2 diabetes in primary care.

Methods: A total of 187 patients with and 176 patients without diabetes were randomly selected from a primary care sample of 389 patients with diabetes and 604 age- and gender-matched controls. Pain status was defined as no pain, nociceptive pain or neuropathic pain. Pain medication (paracetamol, NSAID, opioids, neuropathic pain medication) use was based on electronic patient records and checked by a physician during a health examination.

Results: Some pain was present in 90 (51%) patients without and in 106 (57%) patients with diabetes (p = 0.55). Of the patients without diabetes, 109 (62%) and with diabetes 123 (66%) used some pain medication (p = 0.45). The respective proportions for the regular use were 13% and 11% and for the as needed use 56% and 61%. Diabetes was not associated with any of the pain medications used. The use of pain-relieving drugs was most common for neuropathic pain.

Conclusions: The present study indicated that community-dwelling people with and without diabetes used pain medication similarly. Pain medication was used mostly as needed instead of being regular.

Keywords: Analgesics; Diabetes mellitus; Older people; Pain.