Table 1 Prescribed analgesics according to four SF-36 bodily pain levels (groups I–IV)
From: Analgesic purchases among older adults – a population-based study
Pain group | I N (%) | II N (%) | III N (%) | IV N (%) | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ALL PARTICIPANTS | |||||
Number | 244 | 382 | 478 | 316 | |
Level 1 analgesics | 225 (92) | 323 (85) | 392 (82) | 234 (74) | < 0.001 |
NSAID | 200 (91) | 303 (80) | 375 (78) | 222 (70) | < 0.001 |
Paracetamol | 151 (62) | 185 (48) | 162 (34) | 85 (27) | < 0.001 |
Level 2–3 analgesics | 127 (52) | 133 (35) | 127 (27) | 73 (23) | < 0.001 |
Mild opioid | 123 (50) | 131 (34) | 124 (26) | 71 (22) | < 0.001 |
Intermediate/strong opioid | 24 (10) | 9 (2) | 5 (1) | 4 (1) | < 0.001 |
Neuropathic pain medication | |||||
Gabapentinoid | 42 (17) | 34 (9) | 23 (5) | 13 (4) | < 0.001 |
Tricyclic antidepressant | 16 (7) | 15 (4) | 14 (3) | 5 (2) | < 0.001 |
AGE 62–66 YEARS | |||||
Number | 71 | 163 | 224 | 145 | |
Level 1 analgesics | 66 (93) | 133 (82) | 177 (79) | 110 (76) | < 0.001 |
NSAID | 66 (93) | 129 (79) | 176 (79) | 109 (75) | < 0.001 |
Paracetamol | 35 (49) | 58 (36) | 56 (25) | 32 (22) | < 0.001 |
Level 2–3 analgesics | 41 (58) | 51 (31) | 60 (27) | 31 (21) | < 0.001 |
Mild opioid | 40 (56) | 50 (31) | 59 (26) | 29 (20) | < 0.001 |
Intermediate/strong opioid | 4 (6) | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | < 0.001 |
Neuropathic pain medication | |||||
Gabapentinoid | 12 (17) | 10 (6) | 14 (6) | 5 (3) | < 0.001 |
Tricyclic antidepressant | 7 (10) | 7 (4) | 9 (4) | 0 (0) | 0.016 |
AGE 72–76 YEARS | |||||
Number | 112 | 150 | 197 | 129 | |
Level 1 analgesics | 102 (91) | 132 (88) | 168 (85) | 92 (71) | < 0.001 |
NSAID | 99 (88) | 123 (82) | 158 (80) | 86 (67) | < 0.001 |
Paracetamol | 75 (67) | 83 (55) | 79 (40) | 33 (26) | < 0.001 |
Level 2–3 analgesics | 56 (50) | 56 (37) | 51 (26) | 34 (26) | < 0.001 |
Mild opioid | 54 (48) | 56 (37) | 49 (25) | 34 (26) | < 0.001 |
Intermediate/strong opioid | 12 (11) | 5 (3) | 3 (2) | 1 (1) | < 0.001 |
Neuropathic pain medication | |||||
Gabapentinoid | 20 (18) | 17 (11) | 8 (4) | 4 (3) | < 0.001 |
Tricyclic antidepressant | 6 (5) | 5 (3) | 3 (2) | 5 (4) | 0.023 |
AGE 82–86 YEARS | |||||
Number | 61 | 69 | 57 | 42 | * |
Level 1 analgesics | 57 (93) | 58 (84) | 47 (82) | 32 (76) | < 0.001 |
NSAID | 56 (92) | 54 (78) | 41 (72) | 27 (64) | < 0.001 |
Paracetamol | 41 (67) | 44 (64) | 27 (47) | 20 (48) | < 0.001 |
Level 2–3 analgesics | 30 (49) | 26 (38) | 16 (28) | 8 (19) | < 0.001 |
Mild opioid | 29 (48) | 25 (36) | 16 (28) | 8 (19) | < 0.001 |
Intermediate/strong opioid | 8 (13) | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | < 0.001 |
Neuropathic pain medication | |||||
Gabapentinoid | 10 (16) | 7 (10) | 1 (2) | 4 (10) | < 0.001 |
Tricyclic antidepressant | 3 (5) | 3 (4) | 2 (4) | 0 (0) | 0.019 |