Sickle cell disease pain management: is chronic opioid therapy the best option?

A recent study, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, aimed to assess the pain levels of sickle cell disease patients with prescriptions for chronic pain management. Conducted by Patrick Carroll and his team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (MD, USA), the study involved 83 adult patients: 29 patients had received prescriptions from their healthcare providers for long-acting opioids to manage pain, whilst 54 were not taking opioids long term. The researchers provided patients with electronic diaries to record daily pain, physical activity, fatigue and pain-related activity levels, as well as medication satisfaction over a 90-day period....