Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) face an increased risk for serious infection and hospitalization. Use of opioid analgesics raises that risk, according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology (2016;68:323-331).
“The highest rates of infections were associated with the current use of long-acting opioids, high doses of opioids and opioids with potentially immunosuppressive properties,” said first author Andrew Wiese, MPH, a doctoral student in epidemiology at