Journal
PAIN MEDICINE
Volume 9, Issue 2, Pages 166-174Publisher
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2007.00280.x
Keywords
chronic pain; treatment; impact; population-based; adults; prevalence; frequency
Categories
Funding
- NIAMS NIH HHS [AR30582] Funding Source: Medline
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Background. Pain is poorly understood on a population level. This study provides updated estimates of the prevalence, location, severity, and impact of pain in a U.S. community and discusses current definitions of chronic pain. Outcome Measures. We mailed four-page surveys to a random sample of 5,897 adult residents of Olmsted County, MN. The survey asked about participant pain (location, duration, severity, and impact), as well as satisfaction with pain-related health care. Results. Of the 3,575 responders (61%), 64.4% reported having chronic pain (> 3 months' duration); 6.9% reported subacute pain (1-3 months); and 9.9% reported acute pain (< 1 month). Body regions with the highest prevalence of pain were the head (31.9%), lower back (37.7%), and joints (59.5%). Chronic pain sufferers had more days per months with pain, more moderate or severe pain, and greater levels of interference with general activities and sleep than the people with acute and subacute pain. Almost two-thirds of those with chronic pain (63%) reported multiple pain locations. Several chronic pain sufferers gave fair or poor ratings for the quality of care (13.3% of those rating) or the effectiveness of treatment (28.1%) for pain. Conclusions. The prevalence of chronic pain is high, often in more than one location, and over 21% of chronic pain sufferers report dissatisfaction with current care.
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