Articles: chronic.
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Sex differences in chronic pain are well established with documented predominance in women. This study assessed relationships between age at menarche and chronic pain, site-specific chronic pain, pain characteristics, and chronic widespread pain (CWP). We used data from the Tromsø Study conducted in 2007 to 2008 and 2015 to 2016 (Tromsø 6 and Tromsø 7 waves) including participants aged 30 to 99 years. ⋯ Age at menarche was significantly associated with chronic pain in the neck, abdomen, and both arms, and CWP. Of the 4 pain characteristics, pain duration was statistically significant. We conclude that early menarche is an independent risk factor for pain across a broad spectrum of pain outcomes.
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Obese individuals report a higher susceptibility to chronic pain. Females are more likely to have chronic pain and excess adipose tissue. Chronic pain is associated with dysfunctional pain-modulatory mechanisms. Body composition differences may be associated with pain modulation differences in males and females. The purpose of this study was to investigate body composition (lean vs fat mass) differences and pain-modulatory functioning in healthy males and females. ⋯ Men and women exhibited similar CPM and EIH despite marked differences in body composition. Our findings suggest whole-body and limb-specific lean tissue mass and fat mass do not influence CPM and EIH in adults without chronic pain.
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Previous research has shown that chronic back pain amongst European adolescents is increasing. Determining the factors associated with this increasing trend is crucial for developing prevention strategies. In this study, we used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey to examine whether increases in screen time and/or obesity between 2002 and 2014 were associated with the increase in the prevalence of chronic back pain amongst European adolescents during the 12-year period. ⋯ More screen time and obesity are slightly associated with more chronic back pain (CBP) prevalence in adolescents across the WHO European Region. The findings may be used to identify ways to prevent or reduce the rising trend of CBP in adolescents.
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The experience of pain and pain behaviors is not only determined by physiological but also psychosocial factors. In this context, the learning history of the individual and specifically operant reinforcement related to spouse responses might play an important role. We investigated the effect of a solicitous and habitually pain-reinforcing spouse for the processing of pain in patients with chronic pain. ⋯ This was specific for the painful stimulation at the back and occurred only in the presence but not the absence of the spouse. Pain ratings of intensity and unpleasantness were also higher in the patients with solicitous spouses when the spouse was present during painful stimulation. These data suggest that significant other responses indicative of operant reinforcement may have a direct effect on the cerebral processing of pain and related pain perception.
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Previous literature on race/ethnicity and pain has rarely included all major US racial groups or examined the sensitivity of findings to different pain operationalizations. Using data from the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Surveys on adults 18 years or older (N = 273,972), we calculated the weighted prevalence of 6 definitions of pain to provide a detailed description of chronic pain in White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and multiracial groups. We also estimated modified Poisson models to obtain relative disparities, net of demographic and socioeconomic (SES) factors including educational attainment, family income, and home ownership; finally, we calculated average predicted probabilities to show prevalence disparities in absolute terms. ⋯ Blacks report lower prevalence of less severe pain definitions than Whites but slightly higher prevalence of severe pain. Net of SES, however, Blacks experienced significantly lower pain across all definitions. Overall, racial disparities are larger than previously recognized once all major racial groups are included, and these disparities are largely consistent across different operationalizations of pain.