Opioid consumption and prescription in Brazil: integrative review / Uso e prescrição de opioides no Brasil: revisão integrativa

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the past twenty years, the number of deaths caused by opioid overdose has tripled in the United States. There is, in literature, a scarcity of up-to-date evidence regarding opioids consumption in the Brazilian scenario. The objectives of this study was to know, through a literary review, the pattern of opioid analgesics consumption in Brazil. METHODS: An integrative review of the literature, performed in the PubMed, BVS and Scielo databases from August 30 to October 22, 2020. The search strategy included the following terms, "Opioid-related disorders" or "Opioid epidemic" or "Opioid analgesics" and "Brazil". Inclusion criteria: published in the last five years; studies on humans. Exclusion criteria: studies not related to the objective of this review; letters, editorials, commentaries and secondary studies. RESULTS: The results showed patients' dissatisfaction with pain management when compared to patients from developed countries, the lack of knowledge and adequate public policies on the use of opioids among health professionals make them view opioids as the last treatment alternative. The practice of analgesic self-medication is frequent in patients with chronic diseases, which may be the cause of the low prescription of opioid analgesics by health professionals. CONCLUSION: It is noteworthy that there is a lack of data related to the prescription and use of opioids in Brazil. Further studies should be conducted to assess the use of opioids in general medical practice.

RESUMO JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Nos últimos 20 anos, o número de mortes causadas por overdose de opioides triplicou nos Estados Unidos. São escassas na literatura evidências atualizadas sobre o consumo de opioides no cenário brasileiro. O objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer, por meio de revisão literária, o padrão de consumo de analgésicos opioides no Brasil. MÉTODOS: Revisão integrativa da literatura, realizada nas bases de dados Pubmed, BVS e Scielo, no período de 30 de agosto a 22 de outubro de 2020. A estratégia de busca incluiu os termos "Transtornos relacionados ao uso de opioides" ou "Epidemia de opioides" ou "Analgésicos opioides" e "Brasil". Critérios de inclusão: publicação nos últimos cinco anos; estudos em humanos. Critérios de exclusão: estudos não relacionados ao objetivo desta revisão; cartas, editoriais, comentários e estudos secundários. RESULTADOS: Os resultados mostraram a insatisfação dos pacientes com o manejo da dor quando comparados a pacientes de países desenvolvidos, a falta de conhecimento e de políticas públicas adequadas sobre o uso de opioides entre os profissionais de saúde faz com que estes vejam os opioides como a última alternativa de tratamento. A prática da automedicação analgésica é frequente em pacientes com doenças crônicas, o que pode ser a causa da baixa prescrição de analgésicos opioides pelos profissionais de saúde. CONCLUSÃO: Faltam dados relacionados à prescrição e uso de opioides no Brasil. Novos estudos devem ser realizados para avaliar o uso de opioides na prática médica geral.

Myasthenia gravis and COVID-19: a systematic review of case reports and case series

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease involving neuromuscular transmission and possible respiratory failure when concomitant with COVID-19. The aim of this study was to analyze the need for ventilatory support (VS), length of hospital stay (LOS) and mortality in patients diagnosed with MG and COVID-19. In this systematic review, PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, MEDLINE and IBECS databases were searched for primary studies published from January 2010 to March 2021, with no language restrictions. Fourteen eligible studies were identified. The main factor associated with the need for VS was the use of antibiotics other than azithromycin (AZM) for the treatment of COVID-19 (RR 1.60; 95% CI 1.20­2.91; p = 0.009). Patients who used hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and AZM had almost twice the risk of needing invasive ventilatory support (IVS) (RR 1.94; 95% CI 1.07-3.52; p = 0.16). There were nonsignificant trends towards less need for IVS in patients who used intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and corticosteroid therapy (RR 0.54; 95% CI 0.09­3.26; p = 0.60). There was a trend towards shorter LOS in patients who received therapy with IVIg and corticosteroid therapy [8 (5 - 8) vs 19 (12.2­23.7); p = 0.007]. 10.3% (n = 4/39) died and 100% did not use IVIg or IVIg and prednisone. There was a non-significant trend towards higher mortality in patients who used AZM (RR 2.55; 95% CI 0.26­30.02; p = 0.60). IVIg and corticotherapy presented themselves as a favorable alternative in relation to the outcomes. KEY WORDS: Coronavirus infections; length of stay; Myasthenia gravis; Respiratory insufficiency.