Cumulative Opioid Exposure Correlates With Dementia Risk

Background: Chronic opioid use and dementia are 2 growing public health challenges in the United States. Chronic opioid use is known to impact brain chemistry and cause histological changes that resemble those of Alzheimer disease on autopsy findings. The impact on dementia risk of long-term opioid use is poorly explored, with few contradicting existing studies. Objective: To examine the association between cumulative noncancer opioid use and the risk of developing age-related, all-cause dementia. Design: Population-based, nested case-control study linking national Danish registries. Participants: A cohort of 1.8 million Danish people aged 60 to 75 years. Methods: Data from 2000 to 2020 were used to select the participants. During the follow-up period, 670,200 people were censored due to development of an exclusion criteria, emigration, or death. Participants did not have previous dementia, cancer (except nonmelanoma skin cancers), opioid addiction, or palliative opioid use. Dementia more...