Comparing Comorbidities of Older Adults With Opiate Use Disorder by Race and Ethnicity

Older adult Blacks have more opioid related deaths and medical problems than their White and Latino peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences of co-occurring medical conditions in older patients with opiate use disorder by race and ethnicity. It is a follow-up retrospective study that utilized a computer algorithm employed by a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers in New York State to collect health record data on persons aged 55 and older with an opiate use disorder diagnosis from March 2020 to August 2020. The results are that older adult Blacks had higher incidences of heart or circulatory disorders, anemia, HIV/AIDS, and immunodeficiency than Whites or Latinos, but a lower incidence of a pain disorder diagnosis. While multiple factors account for these differences (e.g., cultural factors and social determinants of health) and provider bias should also be considered.