Highlights
- •Chronic pain (CP) was associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in cross-sectional studies.
- •The potential role of CI on CP occurrence remains debated.
- •The association between CI and CP occurrence was examined prospectively.
- •Lower cognitive inhibition was associated with a higher risk of developing CP.
Abstract
Chronic pain (CP) and cognitive impairment are common in older adults. CP was found
to be associated with cognitive impairment in many cross-sectional studies. However,
their cross-sectional design precluded inference on temporality. Accordingly, we aimed
to prospectively assess the association between cognitive functioning and the occurrence
of CP in older community dwellers. Analyses were based on data of the first (FU1)
and the second follow-up (FU2) of CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, a prospective cohort study conducted
in the general population of Lausanne (Switzerland) including the participants aged
65 and over. Neuropsychological functioning including memory, language, attention
and executive function was measured at FU1. CP was assessed at FU1 and FU2 by self-rating
questionnaire. The association between cognitive scores and subsequent CP was determined
using multiple logistic regressions. Among the 337 participants without CP at FU1,
107 (31.8%) developed CP at FU2. A significant association was observed between higher
Stroop color-time and interference index at FU1 and a higher risk of CP at FU2 (OR = 1.02;
P = .03 and OR = 1.49; P = .03, respectively). Our results suggest that patients with inhibitory deficit may
be at higher risk of developing CP in the presence of painful events. A cognitive
assessment could be recommended to identify frail patients in these situations.
Perspective
This study suggests that presence of inhibitory deficits is associated with a higher
risk of developing subsequent CP in older adults. In the presence of painful events,
a cognitive assessment should be recommended to identify frail patients and to manage
them carefully.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 25, 2021
Accepted:
January 13,
2021
Received in revised form:
December 8,
2020
Received:
September 2,
2020
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding: The CoLaus|PsyCoLaus study was and is supported by research grants from GlaxoSmithKline, the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of Lausanne, and the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants 3200B0–105993, 3200B0-118308, 33CSCO-122661, 33CS30-139468, 33CS30-148401 and 33CS30_177535/1).
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
