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Brain Stimul 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

CHU Lille, Hôpital Fontan, Department of Psychiatry, F-59000, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS UMR-9193, SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, France; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Introduction: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are paroxysms of either altered subjective or objective manifestations that may mimic epileptic seizures (ES), without abnormal neuronal epileptiform activity. In this report, we present the case of a 39-year-old woman with PNES and functional movement disorders, who was successfully treated with neuro-guided transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Methods: We used a PET-guided tDCS approach, as a hypometabolism of the frontal region was revealed by FDG TEP scan. Read More

Aktuelle Urol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Ambulantes Rehabilitations-Zentrum für Urologie und Gynäkologie Heidelberg, Facharztpraxis für Urologie, Heidelberg.

In specialist urology clinics, 50 - 70 % of patients have chronic urological diseases such as recurrent urinary tract infections, a somatoform overactive bladder, adult and infantile enuresis, a chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and the psychosomatic form of post-prostatectomy incontinence. The 12-month prevalence of psychological disorders in the general adult population is 28 % 1. As many as 20 % of children and adolescents are found to have psychological abnormalities 2. Read More

Indian J Psychiatry 2019 Jan;61(Suppl 2):241-246

Department of Psychiatry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Med Mal Infect 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Institut de neurosciences de la Timone UMR7289, campus santé, Aix-Marseille université, 13005 Marseille, France; Pôle de psychiatrie, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, 13005 Marseille, France; Fondation FondaMental, 13005 Créteil, France.

Approximately 10% of patients presenting with Lyme disease experience fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, concentration disorders, or short-term memory deficits in the six months following treatment. This entity has been defined as post-Lyme disease syndrome or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. The pathophysiology of this syndrome is unknown, but neither persistence of the bacterium nor effectiveness of antibiotics are currently reported in the literature. Read More

Arch Gynecol Obstet 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 440, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.

Purpose: To investigate the real-life epidemiology of mental disorders during pregnancy and their impact on birth outcome in an unselected low-risk population in Germany.

Methods: Claims data of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) were analyzed as part of a retrospective observational study over a one-year period from 01/2008 to 12/2008 including 38,174 pregnant women. ICD-10 codes were clustered into four diagnostic groups: depression, anxiety disorders, somatoform/dissociative disorders and acute stress reactions. Read More

Niger J Clin Pract 2019 Feb;22(2):208-214

Department of Emergency, Siverek State Hospital, Şanlıurfa, Turkey.

Objectives: Repeated admissions of patients with undiagnosed psychiatric problems in emergency departments (ED) is a major contributor to patient unsatisfaction and overcrowding in EDs. We evaluated the presence of psychiatric disorders in non-emergent admissions in the ED of a tertiary care hospital.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Eskisehir Osmangazi University Hospital between December 2015 and March 2016. Read More

Psychol Med 2019 Feb 7:1-10. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy,University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf,Hamburg,Germany.

Background: The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced somatic symptom and related disorders (SSD) to improve the diagnosis of somatoform disorders. It is unclear whether existing questionnaires are useful to identify patients with SSD. Our study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8) in combination with the Somatic Symptom Disorder - B Criteria Scale (SSD-12). Read More

Br J Gen Pract 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London.

Background: Studies have reported that medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) tend to be associated with increased healthcare use, which is demanding of resources and potentially harmful to patients. This association is often used to justify the funding and study of psychological interventions for MUS, yet no systematic review has specifically examined the efficacy of psychological interventions in reducing healthcare use.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) for MUS in reducing healthcare use. Read More

BMC Psychiatry 2019 Jan 28;19(1):47. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.

Background: Antenatal common mental disorders (CMDs) including anxiety, depressive, adjustment, and somatoform disorders are prevalent worldwide. There is emerging evidence that experiencing a natural disaster might increase the risk of antenatal CMDs. This study aimed to synthesise the evidence about the prevalence and determinants of clinically-significant symptoms of antenatal CMDs among women who had recently experienced an earthquake. Read More

Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 2019 Feb;17(1):34-42

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.

Objective: Previous studies have suggested alterations in the kynurenine pathway as a major link between cytokine and neurotransmitter abnormalities in psychiatric disorders. Most of these studies used a cross-sectional case-control study design. However, knowledge is still lacking regarding the stability over time of kynurenine pathway metabolites and the functionally related cytokines. Read More

J Pain 2019 Jan 25. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Pain Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.

Learning processes have been discussed in the context of pain chronicity for decades. Particularly, operant conditioning has been used to experimentally induce and modulate pain in healthy humans. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, research findings on pain facilitation (hyperalgesic effect) and pain elicitation (allodynic effect) are evaluated. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2019 Jan;25(3):388-397

NAFKAM, Department of Community Medicine, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsoe, N-9037, Norway.

Background: The clinical presentation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) shows a large symptom variation also in different intensities among patients. As several studies have shown, there is a large overlap in the symptomatic spectrum between proven GERD and other disorders such as dyspepsia, functional heartburn and/or somatoform disorders.

Aim: To prospectively evaluate the GERD patients with and without somatoform disorders before and after laparoscopic antireflux surgery. Read More

Br J Pain 2019 Feb 13;13(1):35-42. Epub 2018 Jun 13.

SI 'Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine', Kyiv, Ukraine.

Introduction: Mirror therapy requires a minimum of equipment, is relatively simple to perform and effective for various pathological conditions. The effect of mirror therapy on body schema disturbances registered in complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) patients has not yet been determined.

Methods: The study is based on the analysis of the treatment results of 30 patients with CRPS I, developed as a result of the distal radius fractures, with help of mirror therapy together with exercise therapy and medications. Read More

Nat Prod Res 2019 Jan 19:1-6. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

a State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Peking University , Beijing , China.

One new coumarin, muralatin R, was isolated from the leaves of Murraya alata Drake (Rutaceae). Its structure was elucidated by extensive analysis of the NMR and MS data, along with the specific rotation comparison. Muralatin R was found to be capable of activating the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel through desensitization mechanism. Read More

N Engl J Med 2019 Jan;380(2):178-185

From the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital (A.L.D., T.J.P., M.F.N.-V.), the Departments of Psychiatry (A.L.D., T.J.P., M.F.N.-V.) and Medicine (Y.S.K.-O.), Harvard Medical School, and the Department of Medicine, West Roxbury Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Y.S.K.-O.) - all in Boston.

J Appl Oral Sci 2019 Jan 7;27:e20180210. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

Università di Siena, Scuola di Odontoiatria, Siena, Italia.

Objective: the aim of this study was to describe the frequency of psychosocial diagnoses in a large sample of patients attending a tertiary clinic for treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Material And Methods: six hundred and ninety-one patients who sought treatment for pain-related TMD were selected. Chronic pain-related disability (Graded Chronic Pain Scale, GCPS), depression [Symptoms Checklist-90 (SCL-90) scale for depression, DEP] and somatization levels (SCL-90 scale for non-specific physical symptoms, SOM) were evaluated through the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) Axis II psychosocial assessment; TMD diagnoses were based on the Axis I criteria. Read More

Ideggyogy Sz 2018 Nov;71(11-12):385-392

Sakarya University Research and Training Hospital, Department of Neurology, İstanbul, Turkey.

Background And Purpose: Migraine is a common and often debilitating disorder. Although the existence of a link between migraine and certain psychological features has long been known, data on dissociative experiences in migraine patients is insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of psychoform and somatoform dissociative experiences among migraine patients without aura and to examine their relationship with pain perception and disability. Read More

Bone Joint J 2019 Jan;101-B(1):7-14

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Joint Research OLVG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Aims: We performed a meta-analysis investigating the association between preoperative psychological distress and postoperative pain and function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Materials And Methods: Pubmed/Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library were searched for studies on the influence of preoperative psychological distress on postoperative pain and physical function after TKA. Two blinded reviewers screened for eligibility and assessed the risk of bias and the quality of evidence. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2018 7;9:646. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Persistent somatic symptoms (PSS), referred to as somatoform disorders and lately somatic symptom disorders, are frequent but often remain under-recognized and under-treated. Although European guidelines overlap, presumably, there is large diversity in their practical use and in the actual health care situation. The aim of this qualitative evaluation was to compare health care for PSS across 9 European countries, to illustrate commonalities and differences, and to discuss challenges for a pan-European research agenda. Read More

Rev Esc Enferm USP 2018 Dec 13;52:e03396. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Universidade Federal do Piauí, Departamento de Enfermagem, Teresina, PI, Brasil.

Objective: To analyze workers' cases of work leave caused by mental and behavioral disorders.

Method: A cross-sectional census study conducted between June and July 2017 in which data were used from the National Social Security Institute database, with all workers' records. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and inferential tests. Read More

Semin Reprod Med 2018 Mar 19;36(2):159-163. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a recurring and/or constant pain of at least six months duration that has resulted in either functional or psychological disability that can require interventional treatments. Chronic pelvic pain can be visceral, somatic, neuropathic, or a combination. Patients with CPP often suffer from concurrent bowel or bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Whether or not short-term exposure to particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM) increases the risk of psychiatric emergency diseases is unclear.

Methods: The study was performed in a metropolis from January 2015 to December 2016. Read More

J Atten Disord 2018 Dec 6:1087054718816172. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

2 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Germany.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify characteristics predicting the use of medication and/or psychotherapy after a first ADHD diagnosis.

Method: This cohort study was based on German claims data including 12,250 treatment-naïve children aged 5 to 12 years with an incident ADHD diagnosis in 2010. Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between children's characteristics at first diagnosis and the chosen treatment within the following 5 years. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2018 23;9:626. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Section of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.

"Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms" (MUPS) defines a subgroup of patients presenting physical symptoms of unclear origin. The study aims to profile clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of patients with MUPS. This 9-years observational retrospective study assesses all patients admitted between 2008 and 2016 in the divisions of neurology and gastroenterology. Read More

Ind Health 2019 Feb 7;57(1):79-83. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan.

This study used health insurance claims data to examine the relationship between the length of sick leave and treatment administered to employees who received middle- to long-term accident and sickness benefits for ≥91 d due to mood disorders, anxiety, and dissociative, stress-related, somatoform and other nonpsychotic mental disorders. Employees who received psychotherapy had significantly shorter leaves of absence over one year compared to those that did not. Treatment with psychotropic drugs was significantly higher among those on leave for ≤365 d than those on leave for ≥366 d. Read More

Behav Med 2018 Dec 11:1-9. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

a Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy , University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.

Many primary care patients with high somatic symptom burden do not initiate mental health treatment. Using a cross-sectional design, this study aimed to identify predictors of psychotherapy seeking behavior for patients with high somatic symptom burden within the last 12 months. Data from 20 primary care practices were analyzed. Read More

Neuropsychopharmacol Rep 2018 Dec 11;38(4):167-174. Epub 2018 Aug 11.

Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Aim: To explore the characteristics of psychiatric morbidity in chronic pain patients who present with or without fibromyalgia.

Methods: Patients are referred to our chronic pain clinic from primary medical institutions, as we are a secondary medical institution. Although some patients have chronic pain, they have no clear organic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis to account for the pain. Read More

J Psychosom Res 2018 Dec 19;115:125-127. Epub 2018 Oct 19.

Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, The Netherlands; GGZ inGeest Specialized Mental Health Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

PLoS One 2018 15;13(11):e0206440. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to investigate how doctors working in primary health care in Latin American address patients with common mental disorders and to investigate how stigma can affect their clinical decisions.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we applied an online self-administered questionnaire to a sample of 550 Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) from Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba and Chile. The questionnaire collected information about sociodemographic variables, training and experience with mental health care. Read More

BMC Psychiatry 2018 Nov 12;18(1):361. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Background: To investigate (a) the diagnostic agreement between diagnoses of somatoform disorders, depressive and anxiety disorders obtained from a structured clinical interview and diagnoses reported from primary care physicians (PCPs) and (b) to identify patient and PCP-related predictors for the diagnostic agreement regarding the presence of a somatoform disorder.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional study comprising 112 primary care patients at high risk for somatoform disorders were analyzed. Diagnoses according to International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) for somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders were obtained from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and compared with the diagnoses of the patients' PCPs documented in their medical records. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Oct;97(43):e12986

Department of Gastroenterology, Shunde Second People's Hospital, Foshan.

To compare the epidemiological and psychological features of globus symptoms between individuals from urban and rural areas in Guangzhou.In total, 3360 individuals aged 18 years and over were selected to participate in our questionnaire investigation using random cluster sampling under the stratification of a urban area and a rural area. The questionnaire comprised questions on personal characteristics and globus symptomatology and psychological characteristic and sleep quality scales. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 10 31;15(11). Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.

Organized and ritual child sexual abuse (ORA) is often rooted in the child's own family. Empirical evidence on possible associations between ORA and trauma-related symptoms in those who report this kind of extreme and prolonged violence is rare. The aim of our study was to explore socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the individuals reporting ORA experiences, and to investigate protective as well as promotive factors in the link between ORA and trauma-related symptom severity. Read More

Psychiatr Pol 2018 Aug 24;52(4):685-695. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Zakład Rehabilitacji, Wydział Medyczny Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego.

Objectives: The most common motor deficits in patients with conversion disorder are tremors, weakness of limbsand gait disturbance. The proper diagnosis and treatment aswell as the patient and their family's cooperation during therapy are essential to achieve fast recovery. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of multidisciplinary interventions successfully applied in the treatment of conversion disorders in children, illustrated with an example of a case study. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 02 22;245:98-112. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

School of Medicine, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to update and give an overview of the evidence from published literature that focused on the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in the management of somatoform disorders and medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS).

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was carried out through an electronic search of various databases on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Primary outcome was the severity of somatic symptoms. Read More

BMC Psychiatry 2018 Oct 25;18(1):347. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Department of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Building W26, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.

Background: German statutory health insurances are pursuing the goal of improving treatment of chronically ill people by promoting networks of health care providers and supporting treatments that reflect the current medical knowledge. The so-called PNP program is a collaborative care program developed by a German statutory health insurance, which defines specific rules on psychiatric, neurological, psychosomatic, and psychotherapeutic treatment. It aims to strengthen provision of guideline-based outpatient treatment and collaboration between different health care providers. Read More

Schmerz 2018 Oct 16. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Department Neurology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.

Background: One major concern of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) is the risk of abuse of prescribed opioids.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and predictors of opioid use-related hospitalizations and potential abuse of prescribed opioids by persons with LTOT for CNCP in a sample representative of the German statutory health insurance companies.

Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study in 2014. Read More

Praxis (Bern 1994) 2018;107(21):1127-1128

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2018 Oct 11;20(5). Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Seizure 2018 Nov 3;62:95-98. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address:

Purpose: To assess the contribution home-videos made on mobile phones can make to the diagnosis of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES).

Methods: Consecutive patients 10-50 years old, with episodes of altered behavior or abnormal movements, unresponsiveness, or falls, were recruited after they had obtained 'good' or 'fair' quality (quality of video scale (QOV)) home-videos of their episodes on personal mobile phones; these subjects underwent video-electroencephalography (VEEG). Diagnoses of PNES, other physiological events or epileptic seizure (ES) on home-videos (by the epilepsy fellow, step 1) and on VEEGs (by a fully trained epileptologist unaware of the home-video recording, step 2) were compared. Read More

Curr Treat Options Neurol 2018 Oct 13;20(12):50. Epub 2018 Oct 13.

Dizziness and Vertigo Center Essen and Department of Neurology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Purpose Of Review: Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a newly defined disorder of functional dizziness that in the International Classification of Diseases in its 11th revision (ICD-11) supersedes phobic postural vertigo and chronic subjective dizziness. Despite efforts to unify the diagnosis of functional (somatoform) dizziness, patients will present with a variety of triggers, perpetuating factors, and comorbidities, requiring individualized treatment. This article will review different treatment strategies for this common functional neurological disorder and provide practical recommendations for tailored therapy. Read More

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2018 Oct 11. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Crime Prevention and Correction, Central Police University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Purpose: In Taiwan, few studies explored the morbidity of mental disorders among prisoners. The purpose of this study is conducted to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in Taiwanese prisoners.

Methods: Based on Nationwide population-based databank, 82,650 prisons were studied for mental disorders. Read More

J Abnorm Psychol 2018 Nov 11;127(8):770-780. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Psychology, Florida State University.

Individuals with appearance concerns engage in "safety behaviors" (SBs) aimed at checking, hiding, fixing, and reducing threat associated with their perceived flaw in appearance. Appearance-related SBs are important in contemporary accounts of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), though they are also relevant to social anxiety (SAD) and eating disorders. The present study examined the extent to which appearance-related SBs contribute to the development of disorder-specific symptoms and maladaptive cognitions. Read More

Seizure 2018 Nov 28;62:59-65. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Academic Neurology Unit, University of Sheffield, UK. Electronic address:

Purpose: This study is based on a narrative analysis of individuals' written accounts of living with epilepsy (n = 29) or psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (n = 20, PNES). Narrative analysis looks at both the content and structure of the personal account. We used a form of narrative analysis that allowed us to identify common story lines, otherwise known as narrative typologies, potentially characteristic of these patient groups. Read More

Psychiatr Danub 2018 Sep;30(3):254-272

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 31, A-8036 Graz, Austria,

Traumata, by definition, refer to exterior events that expose a person to experiences of overwhelming threat and catastrophe and elicit feelings of death anxiety, panic, horror, helplessness, loss of personal control, and intractability. Most affected persons respond with at least some distressing symptoms of trauma-related memory intrusions, autonomic hyperarousal, dissociation, and depression in the acute aftermath. Fortunately, the majority of traumatized individuals succeed in coping with this major stress quite well during the following weeks and months unless the process of recovery is hampered by additional adverse psychosocial circumstances, psychological disposition or biological vulnerability. Read More

Turk Psikiyatri Derg 2018 ;29(3):180-192

Objective: The role of developmental issues and the constitutional factors are crucial in conceptualization of psychopathology. The main aim of this research was to investigate the impact of early losses, attachment styles, affect regulation and temperament-character traits on psychopathology. Furthermore, the other aim was to examine the mediator role of affect regulation and attachment styles between harm avoidance temperament trait and psychopathology. Read More

Schmerz 2018 Dec;32(6):419-426

Klinik für Neurologie, Technische Universität München, München, Deutschland.

Background: One major concern of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) is the risk of abuse of prescribed opioids.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and predictors of opioid use-related hospitalizations and potential abuse of prescribed opioids by persons with LTOT for CNCP in a sample representative of the German statutory health insurance companies.

Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study in 2014. Read More