Chronic pain and geriatric syndromes in community-dwelling patients aged ≥65 years

Abstract

BackgroundIn growing elderly populations, there is a heavy burden of comorbidity and a high rate of geriatric syndromes (GS) including chronic pain.PurposeTo assess the prevalence of chronic pain among individuals aged ≥65 years in the Southern District of Israel and to evaluate associations between chronic pain and other GS.MethodsA telephone interview was conducted on a sample of older adults who live in the community. The interview included the Brief Pain Inventory and a questionnaire on common geriatric problems.ResultsOf 419 elderly individuals who agreed to be interviewed 232 (55.2%) suffered from chronic pain. Of those who reported chronic pain, 136 participants (68.6%) noted that they had very severe or unbearable pain. There were statistically significant associations between the pain itself and decline in patient’s functional status, increased falls, reduced mood, and cognitive decline.ConclusionThe results of this study show that chronic pain is very common in older adults and that it is associated with other GS. There is a need to increase awareness of chronic pain in older adults and to emphasize the important role that it plays in their care.

Chronic Pain and Related Factors in Patients Aged ≥80 Years

“…Depression can lead patients to a negative and pessimistic perception and can have a negative effect on the patient's capacity to cope with pain (37,38). In neurobiologic terms, the main noradrenergic and serotonergic nuclei in the central nervous system are responsible for the chronicity of pain and development of depression (39). Actually, the result we obtained from regression analysis might be affected from examining depression with only one simple question.…”

“…In the definition of chronic pain, authors have used various durations of painful sensation, including pain longer than 3 months, 6 months or more (1). The prevalance of chronic pain in the adult population ranges from 20% to 50%, depending on the study population, the definition of "chronicity" and the definiton of the site of pain (2). Researches consistently show the prevalence of pain rising to a peak of 30-65% in the age group of 55-65 years and then declining somewhat to around 25-55% among those aged 85 years or over (3,4).…”

Incidence of falls among community‐dwelling older adults in Turkey and its relationship with pain and insomnia

“…Although there are some studies in the international literature that examine the relationships of pain and insomnia with falls among community‐dwelling older adults, no study has been performed in Turkey according to our knowledge. Moreover, the relationships of both pain and insomnia with falls were evaluated in this study based on the view that geriatric syndromes affect each other and have to be addressed together for effective management (Ates‐Bulut et al, 2018; Eyigör, ; Kaya et al, ; Liang et al, ; Liberman et al, ). In this study, pain was identified as a significant risk factor for falls among community‐dwelling older adults, with absence of pain considered as protective.…”

“…Among them, sleep quality and pain are remediable risk factors that need attention. Pain and falls are commonly evaluated in studies of geriatric syndromes—clusters of unique features of common health conditions in elderly people (Ates‐Bulut, Soysal, & Isik, ; Liang, Rausch, Laflamme, & Möller, ; Liberman, Freud, Peleg, Keren, & Press, ; Thapa, Shmerling, Bean, Cai, & Leveille, ), and some recent studies have also assessed insomnia in this context (Eyigör, ; Kaya, Koçyiğit, Dokuzlar, Soysal, & Işık, ; Liang et al, ). Pain, insomnia, and falls, which are evaluated within the context of geriatric syndromes, are syndromes that negatively affect the quality of life of older adults and cause qualitative and quantitative deficiencies in daily activities and social relationships (Eyigör, ; Kaya et al, ).…”

“…The interactions between specific geriatric syndromes may result in further functional disturbances and higher disease burden. Thus, prevention of geriatric syndromes calls for a full intervention strategy by taking into account all of these geriatric syndromes as a whole rather than just focusing on the ones that have high and increasing prevalences (Ates‐Bulut et al, 2018; Liang et al, ; Liberman et al, ). In this context, addressing pain and insomnia simultaneously may be beneficial for the prevention of falls.…”