Association of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Opioid Pain Medication Overuse among Persons Exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center Disaster

Ananya Sarker Dhanya, Janette Yung (), James E. Cone and Jiehui Li
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Ananya Sarker Dhanya: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
Janette Yung: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
James E. Cone: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
Jiehui Li: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: We examined the association of post-9/11 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis with opioid pain medication overuse among enrollees in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR). Opioid overuse was defined as the self-reported intake of prescribed opioids at a higher dosage or more often than directed in the last 12 months on one of the two most recent WTCHR surveys (2015–2016, 2020–2021). Post-9/11 RA was ascertained through self-reports and subsequently validated following medical record release by the enrollees’ physicians or medical records review. We excluded those with self-reported RA that was not validated by their physicians and those who did not report being prescribed opioid pain medication in the last 12 months. Multivariable log-binomial regression was conducted to examine the relationship between post-9/11 RA diagnosis and opioid pain medication overuse, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and 9/11-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Of the 10,196 study enrollees, 46 had confirmed post-9/11 RA. The post-9/11 RA patients were mostly females (69.6% vs. 37.7%), less frequently non-Hispanic White (58.7% vs. 73.2%) individuals, and less often had attained a higher level of education (76.1% vs. 84.4%) compared to those without post-9/11 RA. Opioid pain medication overuse was significantly associated with a post-9/11 RA diagnosis (Adjusted Risk Ratio: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.44–3.17). More research is needed to better understand the use and management of prescribed opioids among WTC-exposed individuals with RA.

Keywords: World Trade Center (WTC) disaster; rheumatoid arthritis; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); opioids; pain medication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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