Opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain in the frail elderly

Abstract

Pain is a prevalent symptom in the elderly, and in this group of patients, about 20% are medicated with analgesics. The frailty syndrome comprises a reduction of lean body mass, sarcopenia, chronic malnutrition, and a reduction in mobility. It is essential to control chronic pain in the elderly to ensure quality of life and an active role in the family and society. With aging, there are multiple physiological changes that occur in the human body, and it is imperative to take these factors into account when prescribing drugs to elderly patients, namely, opioid analgesics. To date, there are few randomized clinical trials to study opioid therapy in elderly population. The authors propose to make a bibliographical review of the available references about this subject, to improve clinical practice. Key-words: Opioid. Elderly. Frailty.