Chronic opioid use and the risk of infections and death in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide cohort study based on real-world data
Long-term opioid use doubles infection risk and death in inflammatory bowel disease patients, urging safer pain management approaches.
This nationwide Danish cohort study (n=51,844 IBD patients, 2000-2023) demonstrated that chronic opioid use was independently associated with ~2-fold higher risk of hospitalized infection and ~75% higher risk of death in both Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients, with risks persisting across both strong and weak opioids. These findings have direct implications for IBD pain management protocols and warrant clinical vigilance when prescribing opioids to this population.
What the study was
- Study design
- Nationwide cohort study (real-world data, Denmark 2000-2023)
- Population
- All adult Crohn's disease (n=18,897; 20.9% with COU) and ulcerative colitis patients (n=32,947; 14.5% with COU) in Denmark over 23 years
- Sample size
- 51844
- Category
- Public Health
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Inflamm Bowel Dis
Why it surfaced
Large nationwide cohort (n=51,844) quantifying opioid-associated mortality and infection risk in IBD; actionable for clinical practice and guideline development for opioid stewardship in chronic inflammatory disease.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.