Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy Analysis of national opioids database

Authors

Abstract

Objectives. Previous epidemiological studies reported a significantly higher risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Italian male soccer players. As a consequence, sports newspapers and news agencies focused on this issue and spread the news of 51 male soccer players with a reported diagnosis of ALS. Design. We searched news on male Italian national soccer players with a reported diagnosis of ALS quoted from January 1, 1950 to July 31, 2016 in at least two Internet web sites or in books by journalists. Results. A total of 39 male soccer players with a reported diagnosis of ALS were identified. Subjects were born from 1905 to 1973, 32 were currently deceased, 6 were still living, while the status of 1 player was unknown. All gathered information was available for 29 soccer players. The group had a mean age at diagnosis of 45.3 ± 12.2 years, a mean age at onset of symptoms of 46.4 ± 12.1 years, and a mean age at death of 50.9 ± 12.3 years. A significant inverse correlation between year of birth and age at onset of symptoms was observed, with a younger age at onset of symptoms in soccer players born in more recent years (r = -0.65, p < 0.01). Conclusions. Italian male soccer players with a reported diagnosis of ALS have a significantly

younger age at diagnosis when compared to other European patients with ALS.

Results support a possible relationship between soccer and the risk of ALS. We believe

that further research is urgently needed in this field.

 

Share on

Downloads

Authors

Luca Miceli - National Institute of Cancer (CRO), Aviano (PN), Italy

Rym Bednarova

Alessandro Rizzardo

Arturo Cuomo

Marco Cascella

Ilaria Riccardi

Luigi Vetrugno

Tiziana Bove

How to Cite
Miceli, L., Bednarova, R., Rizzardo, A., Cuomo, A., Cascella, M., Riccardi, I., … Bove, T. (2018). Opioids prescriptions in pain therapy and risk of addiction: a one-year survey in Italy Analysis of national opioids database. Annali dell’Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, 54(4), 370–374. Retrieved from https://annali.iss.it/index.php/anna/article/view/698
  • Abstract viewed - 470 times