Abstract
A cross-sectional, Internet-based survey was conducted in a nationally representative
sample of United States (US) adults to estimate the point prevalence of chronic pain
and to describe sociodemographic correlates and characteristics of chronic pain. The
survey was distributed to 35,718 members (aged 18 years and older) of a Web-enabled
panel that is representative of the US population, and 27,035 individuals responded.
Crude and weighted prevalence estimates were calculated and stratified by age, sex,
and type of chronic pain. The weighted point-prevalence of chronic pain (defined as
chronic, recurrent, or long-lasting pain lasting for at least 6 months) was 30.7%
(95% CI, 29.8–31.7). Prevalence was higher for females (34.3%) than males (26.7%)
and increased with age. The weighted prevalence of primary chronic lower back pain
was 8.1% and primary osteoarthritis pain was 3.9%. Half of respondents with chronic
pain experienced daily pain, and average (past 3 months) pain intensity was severe
(≥7 on a scale ranging from 0 to 10) for 32%. Multiple logistic regression analysis
identified low household income and unemployment as significant socioeconomic correlates
of chronic pain. Chronic pain is prevalent among US adults and is related to indicators
of poorer socioeconomic status.
Perspective
The results of this cross-sectional Internet-based survey suggest a considerable burden
of chronic pain in US adults. Chronic pain, experienced by about a third of the population,
was correlated with indicators of poorer socioeconomic status. Primary chronic pain
was most commonly attributed to lower back pain, followed by osteoarthritis pain.
Key words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The Journal of PainAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information.JAMA. 2003; 289: 2400-2406
Baker LC, Bundorf MK, Singer S, Wagner TH: Validity of the survey of health and Internet and Knowledge Network's panel and sampling. Stanford University California, 2003. Available at: http://www.knowledgenetworks.com/ganp/docs/Appendix%20Survey%20of%20Health%20and%20the%20Internet.pdf. Accessed January 15, 2010
- Chronic pain in Australia: A prevalence study.Pain. 2001; 89: 127-134
- Survey of chronic pain in Europe: Prevalence, impact on daily life, and treatment.Eur J Pain. 2006; 10: 287-333
- Prevalence of pain in the Spanish population: Telephone survey in 5000 homes.Eur J Pain. 2002; 6: 133-140
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rheumatoid Arthritis. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid.htm; http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm. Accessed May 11, 2010
- The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community.Lancet. 1999; 354: 1248-1252
- Epidemiology of chronic non-malignant pain in Denmark.Pain. 2003; 106: 221-228
- The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169: 251-258
- Persistent pain and well-being. A World Health Organization study in primary care.JAMA. 1998; 280: 147-151
- Prevalence of chronic pain in a representative sample in the United States.Pain Med. 2008; 9: 803-812
Harstall C, Ospina M: How prevalent is chronic pain? Pain: Clinical Updates. Vol XI, No. 2. June 2003. International Association for the Study of Pain. Available at: www.iasp-pain.org. Accessed September 16, 2009
- IASP Subcommittee on Taxonomy, Classification of chronic pain. Descriptions of chronic pain syndromes and definitions of pain terms.Pain. 1986; 3: S1-S226
- Chronic pain in Canada-prevalence, treatment, impact and the role of opioid analgesia.Pain Res Manage. 2002; 7: 179-184
- Chronic pain: A population-based study.IMAJ. 2008; 10: 676-680
- Population-based survey of pain in the United States: Differences among white, African American, and Hispanic subjects.J Pain. 2004; 5: 317-328
- Prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain in the general Norwegian population.Eur J Pain. 2004; 8: 555-565
SAS OnlineDoc 9.1.3. The SURVEYMEANS procedure - statistical computations. Available at: http://support.sas.com/onlinedoc/913/docMainpage.jsp. Accessed February 21, 2008
- Ambulatory care visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and emergency departments: United States, 2001-02. National Center for Health Statistics.Vital Health Stat. 2006; 13: 1-66
- Nationwide longitudinal study of psychological responses to September 11.JAMA. 2002; 288: 1235-1244
- Epidemiology of chronic pain in Denmark: An update.Eur J Pain. 2009; 13: 287-292
- The impact of chronic pain in the community.Fam Practice. 2001; 18: 292-299
- Prevalence of chronic benign pain disorder among adults: A review of the literature.Pain. 1998; 77: 231-239
- A population in pain: Report from the Olmsted County Health Study.Pain Med. 2008; 9: 166-174
Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 27, 2010
Accepted:
July 1,
2010
Received in revised form:
May 21,
2010
Received:
March 17,
2010
Footnotes
Supported by Eli Lilly and Company.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
