Chronic Pain Among U.S. Adults

​Study Finds High Rates Of Persistent Chronic Pain Among U.S. Adults
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that new cases of chronic pain occur more often among U.S. adults than new cases of several other common conditions, including diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure.  Almost two-thirds of people with chronic pain still suffer from it a year later.  These findings come from data analysis by investigators from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at NIH.

Understanding incidence beyond prevalence is critical to understanding how chronic pain manifests and evolves.  Data on pain progression stresses the need for increased use of multimodal, multidisciplinary interventions to change the course of pain and improve patient outcomes.  The study found that the rate of chronic and high-impact chronic pain (HICP) among adults is approximately 21% and 8%, respectively.  Chronic pain is pain experienced on most days or every day in the past three months, and HICP is pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.  The links between the overall burden of chronic pain and the country's opioid epidemic emphasize the urgency to understand and address the pain issue.

The study offers several key findings:
New chronic pain cases were high, at 52.4 per 1,000 persons per year.  It was compared to other common chronic conditions, such as:

• diabetes (7.1 cases/1,000 per year)
• depression (15.9 cases/ 1,000 per year)
• hypertension (45.3 cases/1,000 per year)

Among those who reported non-chronic pain, about 1 in 6 (14.9%) said they had chronic pain, pointing to the importance of early pain management.
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This study does not just demonstrate the country's terrible burden of pain.  But, we have an urgent scientific imperative to expand our tools to fight pain to restore people to a pain-free life.  The onset of any chronic condition is pivotal, and early intervention can significantly affect the situation's toll on an individual.
 
References
Nahin RL, Feinberg T, Kapos FP, Terman GW. Estimated Rates of Incident and Persistent Chronic Pain Among US Adults, 2019-2020.  JAMA Netw Open.  2023. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563