North-South divide in chronic pain

England has a North-South 'pain divide', with a clear geographical split in the prevalence and intensity of chronic pain and the use of potentially addictive opioid pain killers, shows new research. The study involving researchers from Durham University is published in the online journal BMJ Open. Opioid epidemic The team behind the research warns that better guidance for clinicians to manage chronic pain is essential if an 'opioid epidemic' similar to the one in the US is to be avoided. There are public health concerns associated with the long term use of pain relievers or opioids and doubts about their ability to effectively treat chronic pain, say the researchers. Prescription pain killers Some 23 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers were written in the UK in 2014 at a cost of around £322 million. Misuse is becoming a significant public health issue, including in the US, where the death rate from opioid misuse has quadrupled over the past 15 years. But it's not clear whether the rise in opioid use is being driven by need or inappropriate prescribing.