Table 2.
Baseline characteristics at initiation of opioid therapy for all opioid users in Finland in 2009–2017 (n = 1 761 584).
| Women | Men | All | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 930,120 | 831,464 | 1,761,584 |
| Mean age | 53.9 | 50.9 | 52.5 |
| Age <18 (n) | 1.6% (15,148) | 1.6% (13,566) | 1.6% (28,714) |
| Age 18-75 (n) | 79.9% (743,392) | 87.5% (727,365) | 83.5% (1,470,757) |
| Age >75 (n) | 18.4% (171,580 | 10.9% (90,533) | 14.9% (262,113) |
| Basic education (n) | 30.9% (287,285) | 29.9% (248,338) | 30.4% (535,624) |
| Inter med education (n) | 37.9% (352,732) | 44.0% (366,088) | 40.8% (718,820) |
| High education (n) | 30.7% (285,309) | 25.3% (210,185) | 28.1% (495,495) |
| Resident in large city (n) | 24.5% (227,663) | 22.7% (188,798) | 23.6% (416,461) |
| Multimorbid (n) | 66.2% (615,595) | 54.4% (452,354) | 60.6% (1,067,950) |
| Psychiatric patient (n) | 14.2% (131,917) | 11.1% (92,028) | 12.7% (223,945) |
| Prior cancer diagnosis (n) | 8.4% (78,540) | 8.7% (72,616) | 8.6% (151,156) |
| Cancer diagnosis after opioid initiation (n) | 10.7% (99,675) | 11.9% (98,578) | 11.3% (198,252) |
| Prior long sick leave (n) | 9.4% (87,767) | 10.1% (83,854) | 9.7% (171,621) |
| Mean size of initial dispensed opioid prescription (OMEQ mg) | 252.9 | 259.6 | 256.1 |