??tramadol for OA inc mortality/probs with statistic
A recent article suggested that tramadol use in patients with osteoarthritis was associated with increased mortality (see tramadol inc mortality jama2019 in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jama.2019.1347). However, there are big questions about the validity of the statistical methodology used. Details: -- 252,859 patients from the Health Improvement Network database in the UK who were at least 50 years old and had a diagnosis of osteoarthritis were evaluated: 164,923 on tramadol and 87,936 on other medications -- these patients were seen between 2000-2016, and had not been on the OA medications below for one year before entering the study -- original cohort: mean age of those on tramadol was 71, mean age of others was 68, socioeconomic deprivation index score was slightly higher in those on tramadol 2.6 vs 2.4, BMI on tramadol was 29 vs 28, duration of osteoarthritis was 7 years vs 6 years, visits to GP (general practitioners) 14 vs ...