• Anat Neville, Roni Peleg, Yoram Singer, Michael Sherf, and Pesach Shvartzman.
• Pain and Palliative Care Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
• Isr Med Assoc J. 2008 Oct 1; 10 (10): 676-80.

BackgroundThe prevalence of chronic pain in the general population ranges from 10% to over 40%, depending on the definition and the population studied. No large study has been conducted in Israel.ObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence of patients with chronic pain, and characterize them in a large community random sample.MethodsWe conducted a survey of Clalit Health Services members, interviewing them by phone. A random sample of 4063 Clalit members, 25 years or older and Hebrew speakers, were screened for chronic pain, defined as: any pain or discomfort that in the last 6 months has persisted continuously or intermittently for more than 3 months.ResultsEight percent (n=325) refused to participate. Of the 3738 included in the study, 1722 (46%) reported chronic pain in at least one site. Most of the patients were over 50-years-old (62%) (mean age 56 +/- 16, range 27-97 years). Women suffered significantly more than men, as did those who were older, less educated and born in Israel and Eastern Europe. Prevalent painful sites were the back (32%), limbs (17%) and head (13%). More than a third reported severe pain and impaired life activities. Only 4.8% of the patients suffering from chronic pain were referred to pain specialists and 11% used complementary medicine. A logistic regression model showed that women and patients with a low education level were the only significant variables predicting higher life impact index and higher pain severity.ConclusionsWe found a high prevalence of chronic pain in the study population. Chronic pain causes severe disturbance to quality of life. A low rate of referral to pain specialists and complementary medicine was observed.

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