Effects of dementia on perceived daily pain in home-dwelling elderly people:: a population-based study

Background: pain is a significant problem in the elderly, but the impact of dementia on perceived pain has not been studied in population-based study settings. Objectives: to analyse the prevalence of daily pain and analgesic use among home-dwelling older people with and without dementia. Design: a cross-sectional population-based survey. Setting: population of Kuopio city, Finland. Subjects: 523 home-dwelling subjects aged 75 years and older. Methods: structured clinical examination and interview. Results: prevalence rates for any pain, any daily pain, pain every day interfering with routine activities, and daily pain at rest were significantly lower in those subjects with dementia (43%, 23%, 19% and 4%, respectively) compared to those subjects without dementia (69%, 40%, 36% and 13%, respectively). The subjects with dementia were less likely to use analgesics (33%) than the non-demented (47%). Conclusion: dementia was related to a lower prevalence of reported pain and analgesic use among home-dwelling elderly people.