Table 1.
Survey respondents’ baseline demographics and characteristics.
| Parameter, n (%) | Overall strong-opioid population (five countries) (N = 2016) | Strong-opioid population (three countries) (n = 1210) | Weak-opioid population (three countries) (n = 663) | Rome IV OIC subgroup (strong-opioid users) (n = 951) | Non-Rome IV with constipation subgroup (strong-opioid users) (n = 1065) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age group, years | |||||
| 40–49 | 928 (46) | 544 (45) | 210 (35) | 443 (47) | 485 (46) |
| 50–59 | 713 (35) | 433 (36) | 218 (36) | 313 (33) | 400 (38) |
| 60–69 | 312 (15) | 194 (16) | 140 (23) | 158 (17) | 154 (14) |
| ≥70 | 63 (3) | 39 (3) | 37 (6) | 37 (4) | 26 (2) |
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 976 (48) | 576 (48) | 224 (37) | 467 (49) | 509 (48) |
| Female | 1040 (52) | 634 (52) | 381 (63) | 484 (51) | 556 (52) |
| Employment status | |||||
| Full-time/part-time/self-employed | 1443 (72) | 818 (68) | 324 (54) | 680 (72) | 763 (72) |
| Unemployed | 198 (10) | 125 (10) | 83 (14) | 81 (9) | 117 (11) |
| Semi-retired/retired | 372 (18) | 265 (22) | 198 (33) | 188 (20) | 184 (17) |
| Student/in full-time training | 3 (<1) | 2 (<1) | – | – | 1 (<1) |
| Single underlying condition that causes the most pain | |||||
| Chronic back pain | 586 (29) | 391 (32) | 160 (26) | 295 (31) | 291 (27) |
| Migraine | 342 (17) | 178 (15) | 43 (7) | 141 (15) | 201 (19) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 255 (13) | 155 (13) | 43 (7) | 136 (14) | 119 (11) |
| Osteoarthritis | 154 (8) | 60 (5) | 40 (7) | 80 (8) | 74 (7) |
| Fibromyalgia | 142 (7) | 109 (9) | 44 (7) | 63 (7) | 79 (7) |
| Joint pain | 101 (5) | 67 (6) | 76 (13) | 47 (5) | 54 (5) |
| Pain relating to cancer (not prostate cancer) | 34 (2) | 22 (2) | 4 (1) | 21 (2) | 13 (1) |
| Neuropathic pain related to diabetes | 24 (1) | 16 (1) | – | 8 (1) | 16 (2) |
| Other | 13 (<1) | 9 (<1) | 195 (32) | 5 (<1) | 8 (<1) |
| Duration of underlying condition | |||||
| >3 months but | 167 (8) | 87 (7) | 30 (5) | 85 (9) | 82 (8) |
| <1 year | 455 (23) | 223 (18) | 91 (15) | 224 (24) | 231 (22) |
| 1 to <3 years | |||||
| 3 to <5 years | 450 (22) | 253 (21) | 101 (17) | 207 (22) | 243 (23) |
| 5 to <10 years | 480 (24) | 312 (26) | 142 (23) | 221 (23) | 259 (24) |
| ≥10 years | 464 (23) | 335 (28) | 241 (40) | 214 (23) | 250 (23) |
| Current opioid use (multiple responses possible) | |||||
| Morphine | 683 (34) | 449 (37) | – | 324 (34) | 359 (34) |
| Fentanyl | 634 (31) | 253 (21) | – | 310 (33) | 324 (30) |
| Oxycodone | 576 (29) | 271 (22) | – | 294 (31) | 282 (26) |
| Oxycodone + naloxone | 273 (14) | 192 (16) | – | 118 (12) | 161 (15) |
| Buprenorphine | 213 (11) | 120 (10) | – | 91 (10) | 122 (11) |
| Tapentadol | 178 (9) | 108 (9) | – | 79 (8) | 99 (9) |
| Methadone | 159 (8) | 63 (5) | – | 78 (8) | 81 (8) |
| Meperidine | 137 (7) | 137 (11) | – | 62 (7) | 75 (7) |
| Hydromorphone | 131 (6) | 83 (7) | – | 61 (6) | 70 (7) |
| Diamorphine | 50 (2) | 50 (4) | – | 30 (3) | 20 (2) |
| Opium + acetaminophen | 37 (2) | – | – | 18 (2) | 19 (2) |
| Piritramide | 18 (1) | 18 (1) | – | 10 (1) | 8 (1) |
| Levomethadone | 16 (1) | 16 (1) | – | 7 (1) | 9 (1) |
| Co-codamol | – | – | 323 (53) | – | – |
| Tramadol | – | – | 236 (39) | – | – |
| Tilidine | – | – | 77 (13) | – | – |
| Tramadol + acetaminophen | – | – | 53 (9) | – | – |
| Dihydrocodeine | – | – | 34 (6) | – | – |
| Codeine | – | – | 33 (5) | – | – |
| Ketamine | – | – | 11 (2) | – | – |
| Pethidine | – | – | 14 (2) | – | – |
| Promethazine | – | – | <1 (1) | – | – |
| Current laxative use (multiple responses possible)a | |||||
| Stimulant laxative | 867 (43) | 470 (39) | 86 (14) | 434 (46) | 433 (41) |
| Osmotic agent | 830 (41) | 467 (39) | 92 (15) | 448 (47) | 382 (36) |
| Saline laxative | 322 (16) | 78 (6) | 19 (3) | 161 (17) | 161 (15) |
| Bulk-forming laxativeb | 146 (7) | 44 (4) | 7 (1) | 71 (7) | 75 (7) |
| Other (potentially non-laxative) | 125 (6) | 76 (6) | 9 (1) | 58 (6) | 67 (6) |
| Emollient laxative | 86 (4) | 76 (6) | 4 (1) | 36 (4) | 50 (5) |
| Lubricant laxative | 60 (3) | – | – | 30 (3) | 30 (3) |
| Combination of laxatives | 307 (15) | 264 (22) | 33 (5) | 140 (15) | 167 (16) |
| Guanylate cyclase 2C agonist | 20 (<1) | 16 (1) | 3 (<1) | 9 (1) | 11 (1) |
| Serotonin agonist | 9 (<1) | 7 (1) | – | 2 (<1) | 7 (1) |
| None | 254 (13) | 187 (15) | 10 (2) | 91 (10) | 163 (15) |
| Time of first opioid prescription | |||||
| In the last ≤3 months | 204 (10) | 8 (8) | 27 (4) | 101 (11) | 103 (10) |
| >3 months but <1 year | 432 (21) | 228 (19) | 61 (10) | 205 (22) | 227 (21) |
| 1 to <3 years | 632 (31) | 364 (30) | 150 (25) | 301 (32) | 331 (31) |
| 3 to <5 years | 359 (18) | 234 (19) | 125 (21) | 157 (17) | 202 (19) |
| ≥5 years | 389 (19) | 292 (24) | 242 (40) | 187 (20) | 202 (19) |
| Constipation prior to opioid use | |||||
| Much/slightly better | 1158 (57) | 654 (54) | 348 (58) | 951 (100) | 207 (19) |
| The same | 515 (26) | 322 (27) | 213 (35) | 0 (0) | 515 (48) |
| Much/slightly worse | 343 (17) | 234 (19) | 44 (7) | 0 (0) | 343 (32) |
Total percentages for each parameter may not equal 100 because of rounding.
a
Laxatives mentioned by respondents, and their classification into groups, are shown in Appendix 3. bAlso known as fibre supplements, e.g. psyllium/ispaghula husk, methylcellulose and sterculia.
OIC: opioid-induced constipation.