JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Lower back pain (LBP) and osteoarthritis (OA) are common musculoskeletal disorders and account for around 17% of years lived with disability worldwide however, there is a lack of real-world data on these conditions. Paracetamol brands are frequently prescribed in France for MSK pain and include Doliprane® Dafalgan® and Ixprim®.

Objective:

The objective of this retrospective study was to understand the journey of patients with LBP or OA when treated with paracetamol.

Methods:

Three studies were undertaken. Two studies analyzed electronic medical records from general practitioners (GP) and rheumatologists of patients with OA or LBP, who had received at least one paracetamol prescription between 2013–2018 in France. Data were extracted, anonymized, and stratified by gender, age and provider specialty. The third study, an infodemiology study, analyzed associations between terms used on public medical forums and Twitter in France and the United States for OA only.

Results:

In the first two studies, of patients with LBP (98,998), most (93%) saw a GP, and Doliprane was first-line therapy for 87% of patients (71% in combination). Of patients with OA (99,997), most (85%) saw a GP, and the same brand was first-line therapy for 83% of patients (62% in combination). Overall, paracetamol monotherapy prescriptions decreased as episodes increased. In the third study, in line with available literature, the data confirmed that prevalence of OA increases with age (91.5% above 41 years), is more predominant in females (20%) and paracetamol usage varies between GPs and rheumatologists.

Conclusions:

This health surveillance analysis gives a better understanding of the journey for patients with LBP or OA. These data confirm that although paracetamol remains the most common first-line analgesic for patients with LBP and OA, usage varies amongst patients and healthcare specialists and there are concerns over efficacy.