Tramadol and the risk of fracture in an elderly female population: a cost utility assessment with comparison to transdermal buprenorphine

摘要

Introduction Opioid treatment for chronic pain is a known risk factor for falls and/ or fractures in elderly patients. The latter cause a significant cost to the National Health Service and the Personal Social Services in the UK. Tramadol has a higher risk of fractures than some other opioid analgesics used to treat moderate-to-severe pain and, in the model described here, we investigate the cost effectiveness of transdermal buprenorphine treatment compared with tramadol in a high-risk population.