Patient Characteristics and Risk of Fall-Related Injuries Among New Users of Opioids in Denmark: A Longitudinal Descriptive Study.

Authors

Juliane Maria Rosendahl, Carina Lundby, Jacob Harbo Andersen, Jesper Ryg, Anton Pottegård, Lotte Rasmussen

Published in

Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety. Volume 35. Issue 4. Pages e70376.

Abstract

To assess the 1-year risk of fall-related injuries among new users of opioids in Denmark.
Using Danish health registers, we identified all new adult users of opioids between 2010 and 2022 (first time use within 5 years). We performed logistic regression and applied marginal comparisons to estimate risk ratios (RRs) associating baseline risk factors to any fall-related injury and fall-related fractures specifically. Patients were followed after opioid initiation until fall-related injury, death, leaving the country, or 1-year follow-up, whichever occurred first.
We identified 1 638 358 unique new users of opioids (54% women; median age 58 years). The 1-year risk of fall-related injuries and fall-related fractures was 8.6% and 3.6%, respectively. The risk of fall-related injuries was highest during the first weeks following opioid initiation. Increasing age, depression, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, and prior fall-related injuries were all associated with new fall-related injuries in the multivariable analysis. Prior fall-related injuries was a predictor of new fall-related injuries (RR 2.15; 95% CI: 2.12-2.18) and fall-related fractures (RR 1.35; 95% CI: 1.31-1.40). Prior fall-related fractures was a predictor of new fall-related injuries (RR 1.96; 95% CI: 1.93-1.99) and fall-related fractures (RR 6.47; 95% CI: 6.29-6.65).
The 1-year risk for any fall-related injuries and fractures was 8.6% and 3.6%, respectively, and highest in the first weeks following opioid initiation. Several important risk factors associated with new fall-related injuries were identified. Physicians should be aware of patient characteristics related to fall risk when prescribing opioids.

PMID:
42583932
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.