Prevalence of chronic pain and chronic widespread pain among subjects with heart failure in the general population: The HUNT study

Abstract

BackgroundPain in chronic heart failure (HF) is a significant but often unrecognized symptom. Characteristics of pain in subjects with HF are largely undescribed. The study aimed to address a knowledge gap in the relationship between HF and pain by investigating the prevalence of chronic pain and chronic widespread pain (CWP) among subjects with HF.MethodsPopulation data from the HUNT3 study in Norway (2006–2008, n = 50,802) was used. HF was measured by self‐report. CWP was defined as having pain in both sides of the body, pain in the upper and lower limbs, and axial pain for at least 3 months in the last year. Associations between HF and CWP and HF and moderate to high pain intensity were analysed with logistic regression.ResultsAmong subjects with HF in the general population, the prevalence of chronic pain was 67.8%, 20.7% had CWP, and 58.8% had moderate to high intensity pain. Compared to participants with cardiovascular disease but not HF, the odds of both CWP (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3–2.0) and moderate to high intensity pain (OR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.3–1.8) were higher among participants with HF‐controlled for age, sex, body mass index, and comorbidity.ConclusionsOur study confirmed the high prevalence of pain among HF subjects. This pain could not be explained by comorbidity or sociodemographic factors, which are relevant for clinical and research purposes. Pain management should not be restricted to cardiac‐related pain but to chronic pain in general.SignificanceThis epidemiological study corroborates previous studies reporting a high prevalence of pain in the HF‐population. We found that the relationship between HF, CWP, and pain intensity could not be explained by comorbidity or sociodemographic factors, illustrating the burden of chronic pain related to HF. Our results expand the understanding of pain in HF and highlight the need to identify and manage chronic pain among individuals with HF, as widespread pain adds to the symptom burden in individuals with HF.