Factors Predicting Risk for Opioid Use Disorder

Identifying patients with risk factors for opioid use disorder (OUD) would be helpful. To assess OUD risk factors, Canadian researchers selected four high-quality retrospective studies that included a total of 4500 OUD patients. In their meta-analysis, they used two of these studies to calculate likelihood ratios (LRs) for developing OUD and two others to assess the predictive value of risk-assessment tools.

Patients with previous personality, pain, somatoform, or psychotic disorders had the highest relative risk for OUD (LR range, 11–27). Concomitant use of certain medications, especially atypical antipsychotics and anxiolytics, also conferred excess risk (LR range, 7–17). Absence of any mood disorder was associated with lower risk for OUD.…