Receipt of prescription opioid medication is associated with increased mortality in an Israeli population.

BACKGROUND: Despite Israel's increased use of prescription opioids, reported deaths resulting or associated with opioids have decreased, in fact dramatically, since 2005. This contrast is unique and difficult to explain. We sought to examine whether higher prescribed opioid dosages among adults without oncologic diagnoses were associated with higher all-cause mortality rates. METHODS: A historical cohort study in Clalit Health Services, using a data repository including all adult patients prescribed opiates between 2010 and 2020, excluding patients with oncologic diagnoses. Patients were classified into three groups according to opioid use: below 50 Morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day, 50 to 90 MME per day, and above 90 MME per day. Sex, Charlson comorbidity score, age and socioeconomic status were recorded. Mortality rates were compared between the dosage groups and compared to age-standardized mortality rates in the general population. RESULTS: On multivariate analysis, patients receiving 90 or more MME per day were 2.37 (95%CI 2.1 to 2.68) more likely to have died compared to patients receiving below 50 MME per day. The respective hazard ratio among patients receiving between 50 and 90 MME per day was 2.23 (2.01 to 2.46). Among patients aged 18 to 50, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) compared to the general population ranged between 5.4 to 8.6 among women, receiving between 50 and 90 MME per day, and between 8.07 and 10.7 among women receiving 90 or more MME per day. The respective SMRs among men were 1.2 to 3.8 and 2.7 to 5.4. CONCLUSION: Increased opioid use is independently associated with increased all-cause mortality among non-oncological patients. This result is most notable among young adults with little or no known comorbidities. These findings are consistent with results in other countries and seem more credible than previous Israeli reports. Healthcare regulators and providers should, therefore, act to curtail the increasing opioid prescriptions and devise and enhance controls in the healthcare system, which, until 2020, had very limited mechanisms in place.

Trends in Pregabalin Use and Prescribing Patterns in the Adult Population: A 10-Year Pharmacoepidemiologic Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pregabalin is steadily gaining popularity worldwide, with epidemiological studies indicating an increase in labeled, off-labeled, and recreational uses. In Israel, pregabalin prescriptions are not regulated by the controlled substances legislations, prompting a need to examine its usage trends for potential policy adjustments. The objective of this study was to assess trends in pregabalin prescribing during a 10-year period, to characterize demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals prescribed pregabalin, and to identify risk factors associated with high-intensity pregabalin use. METHODS: This retrospective, longitudinal study examined trends in pregabalin prescribing from 2010 to 2019 based on data extracted from the Clalit Health Services (CHS) electronic database. Annual pregabalin prescribing rate was calculated individually for each reporting year. A univariable analysis was conducted to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of pregabalin users in 2019 with those in 2010. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess dose-related patterns by specific demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Pregabalin prescription rate more than doubled over 10 years [odds ratio (OR) 2.3, p = 0.001], reaching 7.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.18-7.28] prescriptions per 100 CHS members in 2019. The highest prescription rates were observed among the elderly population (13.2 and 24.1 prescriptions per 100 CHS members for those aged 55-74 and over 75 years old, respectively). Same-year administration of pregabalin with opioids, benzodiazepines, and Z-drugs was common; however, the percentage of patients using these drugs together declined in 2019 compared with 2010 (p < 0.001). Males, patients with low socioeconomic status, patients aged 35-54 years, and those who consumed opioids, benzodiazepines, and Z-drugs received higher pregabalin doses. CONCLUSION: Pregabalin use has increased significantly in the Israeli adult-based CHS population, consistent with worldwide data. A growing use over time may indicate overprescription. More studies are needed on misuse patterns to identify populations most susceptible to high-dose and high-intensity pregabalin use.

Trends in Israeli community-based opioid prescribing, 2010-2020, an observational study of the country's largest HMO.

BACKGROUND: Prescription opioids are widely used for pain control and palliative care but have been associated with a variety of untoward effects, including opioid use disorder, addiction, and increased mortality. Patterns of opioid use in Israel are to date poorly described. METHODS: Using a community-based database, the authors performed a retrospective analysis of filled opioid prescriptions of Israeli HMO members 18 years of age or older during the years of 2010-2020 that filled at least one opioid prescription. Morphine milligram equivalent (MME) calculations were stratified by presence or absence of oncology diagnosis and by specific opioid medication. RESULTS: The percentage of HMO members who filled at least one opioid prescription increased every year from 2.1% in 2010 to 4.2% in 2020. There was an increase in the MME per prescription (44.2%), daily MME per capita (142.1%) and MME per prescription-filling patient (39%) from 2010 to 2020. Increased prescription opioid use is driven by a small group of non-oncological patients, which is less than 1.5% of opioid-prescribed patients and 0.1% of the adult population, primarily owing to fentanyl use. CONCLUSION: Supervision and control of opioid prescriptions in Israel should be a focused effort directed at patients prescribed uniquely high dosages rather than a population-wide strategy that focuses on all patients prescribed opioids. This should be complemented by improved physician training and access to non-opioid therapies, as well as improved data collection and analysis.

Men's Lacrosse Injuries in the 2018 International World Championship Play.

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on injuries in men's lacrosse at the international level. As lacrosse's popularity grows rapidly across the globe, health care providers must understand how to treat lacrosse athletes. PURPOSE: To analyze injury data from the 2018 Men's World Lacrosse Championship. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: This study prospectively observed injuries that occurred during the 2018 Men's World Lacrosse Championship. The medical staff of each team completed injury report forms, and data were categorized into body part injury, type, mechanism, time, and location of injury. RESULTS: Over 11 days, 1019 athletes competed in 170 games, resulting in a total of 7147 athlete-exposures (AEs). A total of 140 injuries were recorded during the tournament for an injury rate of 19.6 per 1000 AEs (95% CI, 16.4-22.7). Overall, there were more contact injuries (n = 99; 70.7%) than noncontact injuries (n = 41; 29.3%) (P < .0001). Contact injuries most commonly affected the upper extremity, while noncontact injuries most commonly affected the lower extremity. Contusions were the most commonly reported injury type in the tournament (n = 41; 29.3%), followed by ligament sprains (n = 32; 22.9%) and muscle strains (n = 21; 15.0%). Although there was no difference between the first and second half of gameplay, the injury rate increased in the latter portion of each half (the first and third quarters vs the second and fourth quarters) (P < .0001). A total of 4 injuries required trips to the hospital. CONCLUSION: Lacrosse has a unique injury profile, as it includes both overhead and collision activity as well as multidirectional, cutting movements. Understanding common injury patterns may help with treatment and prevention. Fatigue may play a role in injury rate, and future research of within-game and within-tournament fatigue should explore this relationship.