Adherence and long-term effect of @entity1288 / XXXX in chronic @entity158 : a retrospective study.

@entity1 @entity1443 @entity1288 @entity158
INTRODUCTION: Long-term administration of opiates in @entity1 with chronic @entity158 (CNCP) is subject to debate due to insufficient clinical evidence to support efficacy and tolerability. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used hospital records to investigate the effects of low doses of the combination of @entity1288 / @entity1443 on CNCP in an outpatient clinic setting to verify adherence to therapy and long-term efficacy. All @entity1 receiving therapy for CNCP were examined between May and September 2010 and information was collected on medication, duration of therapy, and static and @entity158 measured using numeric rating scales (NRS) from relevant charts. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-one @entity1 (157 @entity1 , 68%) with a mean (   SD) age of 66.4  15.5 years were analyzed. @entity158 indexes at baseline revealed a mean (   SD) static NRS (sNRS) of 3.5  1.77 and a mean dynamic NRS (dNRS) of 7.24  1.33. At last follow-up, mean (   SD) @entity158 reductions versus baseline were 1.58  1.42 for sNRS and 3.04  1.43 for dNRS (P<0.0001 for both). Regarding the duration of therapy, 54 @entity1 (23.4%) were treated for <4 months, and 177 @entity1 (76.6%) for 4 months up to 23 months. @entity158 reduction was significant in all groups (P<0.0001) but was greatest in @entity1 who had been receiving therapy for >= 4 months. Improvements in @entity158 relief were not associated with an increase in daily dose, which remained stable or decreased slightly over time. DISCUSSION: The results of this study support the hypothesis that an opiate-based combination at low doses improves tolerability and adherence and results in @entity1 obtaining long-term efficacy. Larger studies of the use of opiates in this setting and clinical monitoring on the regional and national level may convince clinicians to view opiates as efficacious analgesics and not as dangerous substances of abuse.
