Burden and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among people using illicit opioids: matched cohort study in England.

Dan Lewer Sharon Cox John R Hurst Prianka Padmanathan Irene Petersen Jennifer Kathleen Quint

Published in: BMJ medicine (2022)

Death due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is about 15 times more common among people who use illicit opioids than the general population. This inequality does not appear to be explained by differences in treatment, but late diagnosis of the disease among people who use illicit opioids might contribute.

Keyphrases

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
chronic pain
pain management
lung function
air pollution
replacement therapy