Arthritis Rheumatol

ACR 2025: Opioid use common among older adults with rheumatic diseases, study finds

October 30, 2025

A national study using RISE registry data linked with Medicare claims found that 43% of older adults (≥65 years) with rheumatic diseases filled at least one opioid prescription in 2021, according to findings presented at ACR Convergence.

Among 43,825 patients, 18.1% received chronic opioid prescriptions (≥90 days), and 23.8% of opioid users were managed solely by rheumatology providers. High-dose prescriptions (≥50 morphine milligram equivalents/day) were most frequently written by non-rheumatology physicians and non-affiliated NPs/PAs. Patients with axial spondyloarthritis had 51% higher odds of chronic opioid use compared with those with rheumatoid arthritis (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval 1.25-1.82). Socioeconomic deprivation, fibromyalgia, mood and anxiety disorders, and higher comorbidity burden were also associated with increased opioid use. These findings highlight the need for safer pain management strategies and targeted interventions to reduce potentially inappropriate opioid prescribing in this vulnerable population.

Source:

Anastasiou C, et al. “More than 40% of Older Adults with Rheumatic Diseases Are Prescribed Opioid Medications” [abstract]. Presented at ACR Convergence 2025. https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/more-than-40-of-older-adults-with-rheumatic-diseases-are-prescribed-opioid-medications/. Accessed October 29, 2025.