Understanding the Association of Opioid Use and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors: Evidence From the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Objective: To investigate the association between opioid drug use and cardiometabolic risk factors (CDRF) in adults using Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed using the 2009-2018 NHANES data, with a total sample size (N) of 10,032 eligible participants. The data were analyzed to study the relationship between opioid drug use (four groups: drug use (DU), illicit drug use (IDU), repeated drug use (RDU), and current drug use (CDU)) and CDRF (i.e., hypertension, abnormal triglyceride levels, low-level of high-density lipoproteins, high waist circumference, insulin resistance, serum cotinine levels, higher C-reactive protein, hypercholesterolemia, and increased body mass index). The statistical correlation was evaluated using the chi-square analysis, p-value < 0.05 considered as statistically significant.

Results: The analysis found males were more likely than females (p≤0.001) to have ever reported using drugs at least once in their lifetime. In fact, males were more likely than females to report ever using cocaine (p=0.01), heroin (p=0.01), and marijuana (p = 0.01). Additionally, males were significantly more likely than females to disclose the current use of illicit drugs (p=0.002), and have consumed more with at least 12 alcoholic beverages per year (p<0.001). Overall, we found no association between substance use and having a cluster of three or more CDRF variables for both males and females.

Conclusion: Study results highlight the prevalence of gender differences in DU and its reporting. With the rising popularity of illicit drugs, clinicians must be aware of its association with CDRF.