TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2019 -- One in three people with lupus uses opioid painkillers even though there is little evidence that they reduce the pain of rheumatic diseases, a new study finds.
"Rheumatic diseases, such as lupus, are a leading cause of chronic pain," said lead author Emily Somers. She's an associate professor of rheumatology, environmental health sciences, and obstetrics and gynecology at Michigan Medicine, in Ann Arbor.