Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41579867›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2026

Older Age Is Associated With Long-Term Retention in Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.

Justina L Groeger, Tiffany Lu, Andrea Jakubowski, Chenshu Zhang, Yuting Deng, Hector Perez, Frank DiRenno, Benjamin M Jadow, Benjamin T Hayes, Shadi Nahvi and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

12 authors.

Justina L GroegerDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Tiffany LuDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Andrea JakubowskiDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Chenshu ZhangDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Yuting DengDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Hector PerezDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Frank DiRennoDivision of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Benjamin M JadowDepartment of Neurology, NYU Langone Hospitals, New York, New York, USA.
Benjamin T HayesDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4282-6869
Shadi NahviDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Chinazo O CunninghamDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.
Joanna L StarrelsDivision of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Health System, Bronx, New York, USA.

Funding

Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (IMPOWR-ME)RM1DA055437 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI ARNSTEN, JULIA H., BAO, YUHUA · 2021 to 2025
$13.7M
The Neural Underpinnings of Depression and Cannabis Use in Young PLWHR01DA054885 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI Vilma Gabbay, Anjali Sharma · 2021 to 2026
$3.2M
Prescription opioid use, misuse, disorders and HIV outcomesR01DA039046 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, INC · PI STARRELS, JOANNA L. · 2015 to 2018
$2.4M
Mentoring investigators to improve health outcomes among persons with opioid and tobacco use disorderK24DA051807 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Shadi Nahvi · 2022 to 2026
$972k
Microdosing initiation of buprenorphine for people seeking treatment for opioid use disorderK23DA055933 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Benjamin T Hayes · 2022 to 2026
$971k
Mentoring researchers on drug abuse and HIVK24DA036955 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, INC · PI CUNNINGHAM, CHINAZO · 2014 to 2019
$911k
Mentoring Junior Investigators to Tackle the Opioid EpidemicK24DA046309 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, INC · PI STARRELS, JOANNA L. · 2018 to 2023
$876k
Examining injectable buprenorphine implementation strategies in low-threshold and primary care settingsK23DA052627 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Andrea U Jakubowski · 2023 to 2026
$783k
A hospital discharge opioid taper support intervention to improve post-operative opioid prescribingK23DA055752 · NIDA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI Justina L Groeger · 2023 to 2026
$783k
AHRQ HHS K12HS026396HRSA HHS H80CS00626National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases P30AI124414NIDA NIH HHS K23DA052627NIDA NIH HHS K23 DA055752NIDA NIH HHS K23DA055752NIDA NIH HHS K23DA055933NIDA NIH HHS K24DA036955NIDA NIH HHS K24DA046309NIDA NIH HHS K24 DA051807NIDA NIH HHS K24DA051807NIDA NIH HHS R01DA039046NIDA NIH HHS R01DA054885NIDA NIH HHS R01FS044171NIDA NIH HHS RM1DA055437
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOpioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults is a fast-growing public health problem. However, little is known about treatment outcomes among older adults in office-based buprenorphine programs. Thus, our objective was to examine how age is associated with buprenorphine treatment outcomes among adults with OUD who initiate buprenorphine treatment in primary care.

methodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of all adults with OUD who initiated buprenorphine at an office-based treatment program in the Bronx, NY between June 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017. Using cox proportional hazards analysis and logistic regression models, the primary outcome was buprenorphine treatment retention based on electronic health record (EHR) prescription orders. The main independent variable was age at initiation of buprenorphine treatment, categorized as age < 40, age 40-49, age 50-59, and age ≥ 60. Covariates included patient demographics, cannabis use at treatment intake, and history of OUD treatment with methadone.

resultsThe cohort included 239 patients of which 70 (29%) were age 50-59 and 24 (10%) were age ≥ 60. Compared to being age < 40, being age 50-59 was associated with a 27% decreased risk of treatment discontinuation (aHR of 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.95) and greater odds of treatment retention at 1 year (aOR 2.23, 95% CI, 1.15-4.67) and 2 years (aOR 2.20; 95% CI, 1.03-4.74). Compared to being age < 40, being age ≥ 60 had similar, but nonsignificant findings.

conclusionsIn office-based buprenorphine treatment, being age 50-59 was associated with more than 25% decreased risk of treatment discontinuation and over twice the odds of long-term retention in treatment than adults age < 40. While not statistically significant, likely due to their smaller sample size, adults aged ≥ 60 had similar findings. These findings highlight the success of buprenorphine treatment for OUD once it is initiated in adults over age 50.

Indexed as

BuprenorphineOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersAdultAgedAge FactorsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew York CityRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBuprenorphinebuprenorphine treatmentolder adultsopioid use disorder

Identifiers

PMID41579867
PMCPMC12968371

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 Socratic graph.