Table I.
Parameter | Narcotic Users (n = 6171) |
Narcotic Nonusers (n = 7589) |
All Patients (N = 13,760) |
P* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age group | ||||
18–<41 y | 27 | 30 | 29 | <0.001 |
41–<56 y | 50 | 48 | 49 | 0.022 |
56–<65 y | 23 | 22 | 23 | 0.118 |
Female sex | 61 | 59 | 60 | 0.080 |
Comorbid condition† | ||||
Hypertension | 23 | 13 | 18 | <0.001 |
Arthritis | 14 | 4 | 9 | <0.001 |
Diabetes | 10 | 6 | 8 | <0.001 |
Depression | 10 | 5 | 8 | <0.001 |
Asthma | 7 | 4 | 6 | <0.001 |
Anxiety disorder | 6 | 3 | 4 | <0.001 |
Coronary artery disease | 5 | 2 | 4 | <0.001 |
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 3 | 1 | 2 | <0.001 |
Arrhythmia | 2 | 1 | 2 | <0.001 |
Cancer | 2 | 1 | 1 | <0.001 |
Osteoporosis‡ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.002 |
Congestive heart failure | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.001 |
Ulcer | 1 | 0 | 1 | <0.001 |
Other§ | 10 | 5 | 7 | <0.001 |
Injury∥ | 30 | 18 | 24 | <0.001 |
Pregnancy∥ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.023 |
Health care resource utilization∥ | ||||
Physical therapy | 40 | 35 | 38 | <0.001 |
Emergency department | 36 | 15 | 24 | <0.001 |
MRI | 31 | 13 | 21 | <0.001 |
Chiropractic services | 21 | 39 | 31 | <0.001 |
Epidural | 20 | 6 | 12 | <0.001 |
Surgery | 8 | 1 | 4 | <0.001 |
MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.
χ2 Test.
Some patients had >1 comorbid condition; therefore, comorbid conditions were not mutually exclusive.
Osteoporosis rate was 1.0% in patients with LBP using narcotics and was 0.6% in patients with LBP not using narcotic drugs.
Included genetic disease, seizure, dementia, otitis media, sickle cell disease, urinary tract infection, irritable bowel syndrome, and HIV.
Identified only during the study period.