CAA Use Tied to Higher Arthroplasty Risk - Takeaways - MDSpire

CAA Use Tied to Higher Arthroplasty Risk

In a UK cohort, patients with osteoarthritis who initiated centrally acting analgesics had a higher hazard of knee or hip replacement than those who initiated SSRIs, though residual confounding by pain severity remains a key limitation.

  • By

  • Andrea Surnit

  • June 1, 2026

  • 6 min

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  • 1

    Centrally acting analgesics are linked to an 81% higher hazard of knee or hip replacement compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

  • 2

    The study involved 11,734 patients initiating centrally acting analgesics and 11,734 initiating SSRIs, with a median follow-up of 9.5 years.

  • 3

    Deaths occurred more frequently among SSRI initiators (11.0%) than centrally acting analgesic initiators (7.1%) in the matched cohort.

  • 4

    Tricyclic antidepressants and gabapentinoids also showed increased hazards for knee or hip replacement compared to SSRIs.

  • 5

    The researchers cautioned that the study could not establish causality and residual confounding by indication may exist.

Original Source(s)

CAA Use Tied to Higher Arthroplasty Risk

  • by Andrea Surnit

  • June 1, 2026

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