Pain rates in 2020 by pain status in 2019. No pain was defined as no pain in the past 3 months, non-chronic pain as pain on some days in the past 3 months, and chronic pain as pain on most days or every day in the past 3 months. High-impact chronic pain (HICP) was defined as chronic pain that caused limited life or work activities on most days or every day during the past 3 months. Percentages were estimated using longitudinal survey weights provided by the National Center for Health Statistics (10 415 participants included in the analysis; total weighted population of 250.9 million adults who were age-standardized to the age distribution of the US population in 2010) . The whiskers represent 95% CIs. PY indicates person years. Credit: JAMA network opened (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563
A National Institutes of Health study shows that new cases of chronic pain are more common among American adults than new cases of several other common conditions, including diabetes, depression and high blood pressure. Nearly two-thirds of people with chronic pain are still experiencing it a year later.
These findings come from a new analysis of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data by researchers at the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington, Seattle, and are published in JAMA network opened.
“Understanding incidence, in addition to overall prevalence, is critical to understanding how chronic pain manifests and evolves over time. These pain progression data highlight the need for increased use of multimodal, multidisciplinary interventions that address the course of pain could change and improve outcomes for people,” said Richard Nahin, Ph.D., lead author and chief epidemiologist at NCCIH.
Overall, the study found that the rates of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain (HICP) in adults are about 21% and 8%, respectively. Chronic pain is pain experienced on most days or every day for the past three months; and HICP is pain that limits life or work on most days or every day for the past three months. The links between the widespread burden of chronic pain and the country’s opioid epidemic underline the urgency to understand and address the problem of pain.
The study assessed reports of pain among survey participants and compared their experiences in 2020 to their baseline status in 2019. The study provides several key findings:
- The incidence of new cases of chronic pain was high at 52.4 cases per 1,000 persons per year. This is compared to other common chronic conditions, such as diabetes (7.1 cases/1,000 per year), depression (15.9 cases/1,000 per year) and hypertension (45.3 cases/1,000 per year).
- Of those who reported non-chronic pain in 2019, about 1 in 6 (14.9%) said they had chronic pain in 2020, highlighting the importance of early pain management.
- Chronic pain is very persistent: almost two-thirds (61.4%) of those who reported chronic pain in 2019 still reported chronic pain a year later. Chronic pain progressed to HICP at a rate of 190 cases/1000 per year, and 361 cases/1000 per year of people who initially reported HICP were still suffering a year later.
- About 1 in 10 (10.4%) people with chronic pain in 2019 recovered and were pain free in 2020.
“This study not only demonstrates the appalling burden of pain in this country. While 10% of people recovering from chronic pain gives us hope, we have an urgent scientific need to expand our tools to combat pain so that we recover much more.” to a pain-free life,” says Helene M. Langevin, MD, director of NCCIH. “The onset of a chronic condition is a critical time and early intervention can make a significant difference in the toll the condition takes on the individual.”
More information:
Richard L. Nahin et al, Estimated Incidence Rates and Persistent Chronic Pain in US Adults, 2019-2020, JAMA network opened (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563
Quote: Study finds high rates of persistent chronic pain in US adults (2023, May 16) Retrieved May 21, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-high-persistent-chronic-pain-adults.html
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