Traumatic Brain Injury Tied to Later Opioid Use, Misuse

History of TBI tied to 52 percent increased odds of prescription opioid use, 65 percent increased odds of prescription opioid misuse

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have an increased risk for prescription opioid use and misuse, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

Rachel Sayko Adams, Ph.D., from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and colleagues investigated associations of lifetime history of TBI with prescription opioid use and misuse among 3,448 noninstitutionalized adults participating in the Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

The researchers found that 22.8 percent of participants reported a lifetime history of TBI, 25.5 percent reported past-year prescription opioid use, and 3.1 percent met criteria for prescription opioid misuse. There was an association observed between lifetime history of TBI and increased odds of both past-year prescription opioid use (adjusted odds ratio, 1.52) and prescription opioid misuse (adjusted odds ratio, 1.65), after adjusting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, and marital status.

“Routine screening for a lifetime history of TBI may help target efforts to prevent opioid misuse among adults,” the authors write.