According to a population-based observational study, prescription opioid use could negatively impact cognitive function among older individuals. The research relied upon data collected through the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging’s monitoring program that has tracked cognitive decline for nearly 20 years in older populations.
Study results revealed that 70% of individuals received at least one opioid prescription over an average 7.5 year period, which was linked to cognitive performance decline across attention, language and memory domains. Individuals taking opioids also had a 20% increased likelihood of mild cognitive impairment – an exceedance of normal cognitive decline beyond what would normally occur with ageing.
Pain is a prevalent issue for older individuals, with approximately half of those aged 65 and above experiencing it on most days. Researchers suggest that when considering prescribing opioids to older individuals, treatment must be tailored specifically for each person by considering benefits and risks of using prescription opioids as well as conducting extensive follow up.
The results of this research could lead to more effective methods for treating pain in older individuals and help mitigate any negative impact of prescription opioids on cognitive performance.
Researchers note that it remains unclear exactly how opioids may lead to cognitive decline, with causal relationships between opioid prescription and cognitive decline not established or other disorders linked with cognitive dysfunction being indicators.
Though these findings are compelling, they do not prove a causal connection between prescription opioids and cognitive decline. There is however a distinct relationship between opioid use and long-term cognitive decline that needs to be considered when prescribing an opioid to an older individual.
As opioid prescribing trends for individuals have changed drastically over time, additional longitudinal studies will need to take place in order to evaluate broader results from this research, investigate socioeconomic and geographic disparities in opioid availability as well as examine mechanisms underlying an association between long-term cognitive function associations in older individuals and their availability.
