Background: Abuse of opioids among children and adolescents has become a major public concern in the United States. Understanding the epidemiology of opioid use in this vulnerable population is critical to address opioid abuse.
Objective: The aim of this study is to characterize opioid use for the treatment of acute pain among children and adolescents enrolled in Mississippi Medicaid and to determine the effects of related clinical factors (ie, mental health disorders and obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] on patterns of opioid use.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Mississippi Medicaid administrative claims data from October 2015 through December 2017. We examined the proportion of children and adolescents less than 21 years of age using opioids within 7 days following any qualifying acute pain episode, as well as the difference in opioid use patterns between individuals with various demographic and clinical characteristics.
Results: Over 5% of the eligible population received opioids within 7 days of a qualifying pain episode. The majority received schedule II or schedule III to IV short-acting opioids. There was no significant difference in opioid use for acute pain between individuals with and without a mental health disorder. Opioid use for acute pain was significantly more likely among those with a history of OSA than those without OSA.
Conclusion: This study characterizes the nature and patterns of opioid use among children and adolescents with acute pain. Further research is needed to understand the role of clinical and other demographic factors in the prescribing of opioids for acute pain in this population.
Keywords: adolescents; children; obstructive sleep apnea; opioids; pain management.