ArticleThe Lancet. Rheumatology2024
Annual trends in pain management modalities in patients with newly diagnosed autoimmune rheumatic diseases in the USA from 2007 to 2021: an administrative claims-based study.
Article in The Lancet. Rheumatology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- A cannabis use Reddit dataset for aspect-based sentiment analysis.Data in brief · 2026Article
- High Burden and Phenotype-Specific Variability of Pain Polypharmacy in Early Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: A 15-Year Real-World Analysis.Research square · 2026Article
- Visualizing Real-World Pain Treatment Pathways in Chronic Disease: A Sequence-Based Analysis of Polypharmacy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.ACR open rheumatology · 2025Article
- Refining chronic pain phenotypes: A comparative analysis of sociodemographic and disease-related determinants using electronic health records.The journal of pain · 2025Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAutoimmune rheumatic diseases have distinct pathogenic mechanisms and are causes of disability and increased mortality worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine annual trends in pain management modalities among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
methodsWe identified newly diagnosed patients with ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Merative Marketscan Research Databases from 2007 to 2021. The database includes deidentified inpatient and outpatient health encounters with employment-sponsored health insurance claims in the USA. We found minimal occurrences of multiple overlapping conditions and included only the initial recorded diagnosis for each patient. We determined the annual incidence of patients treated with opioids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, skeletal muscle relaxants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), topical analgesics, and physical therapy in the year following diagnosis. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between calendar year and outcomes, adjusted for age, sex, and region.
findingsWe included 141 962 patients: 10 927 with ankylosing spondylitis, 21 438 with psoriatic arthritis, 71 393 with rheumatoid arthritis, 16 718 with Sjögren's syndrome, 18 018 with SLE, and 3468 with systemic sclerosis. 107 475 (75·7%) were women and 34 487 (24·3%) were men. Overall, the incidence of opioid use increased annually until 2014 by 4% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·04 [95% CI 1·03-1·04]) and decreased annually by 15% after 2014 (0·85 [0·84-0·86]). The incidence of physical therapy use increased annually by 5% until 2014 (aOR 1·05 [95% CI 1·04-1·06]), with a slight decrease annually by 1% after 2014 (0·99 [0·98-1·00]). The incidence of anticonvulsant use increased annually by 7% until 2014 (aOR 1·07 [95% CI 1·07-1·08]) and did not significantly change after 2014 (1·00 [0·99-1·00]). Before 2014, the incidence of NSAIDs use increased by 2% annually (aOR 1·02 [95% CI 1·02-1·03]); however, after 2014, the incidence decreased annually by 5% (0·95 [0·95-0·96]). These trends did not differ by sex except for NSAID use before 2014 (p
interpretationSince 2014, the use of non-opioid pain management modalities has increased or stabilised, whereas opioid and NSAID use has declined. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these changes, and the effects they have had on outcomes such as quality of life, disability, and function.
fundingNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
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