Older adults who used opioid pain medications before minor surgery were put at a risk they may not know about.
These adults were up to 68% more likely to die within 90 days of the procedure.
That is when compared with those who never used the drugs, according to UPI.
Even among those 65 and older with low levels of opioid use, even eight months before surgery...
...About 55 people per 10,000 in the general population died within 90 days of having a procedure.
Those who had not used opioid pain drugs prior to surgery died at a rate of just over 40 per 10,000.