TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic pain and obesity in elderly people
T2 - Results from the einstein aging study
AU - Mccarthy, Lucas H.
AU - Bigal, Marcelo E.
AU - Katz, Mindy
AU - Derby, Carol
AU - Lipton, Richard B.
PY - 2009/1
Y1 - 2009/1
N2 - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of chronic pain in elderly people and its relationship with obesity and associated comorbidities and risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: A representative community sample of 840 subjects aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: The prevalence of chronic pain and its relationship with obesity (categories defined according to body mass index (BMI)), other medical risk factors, and psychiatric comorbidities were examined. Chronic pain was defined as pain of at least moderate severity (≥4 on a 10-point scale) some, most, or all of the time for the previous 3 months. RESULTS: The sample was mostly female (62.8%), and the average age was 80 (range 70-101). The prevalence of chronic pain was 52% (39.7% in men; 58.9% in women). Subjects with chronic pain were more likely to report a diagnosis of depression (odds ratio (OR)=2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.40-4.55) and anxiety (OR=2.3, 95% CI=1.22-4.64). Obese subjects (BMI 30-34.9) were twice as likely (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.33-3.28) and severely obese subjects (BMI≥35) were more than four times as likely (OR=4.5, 95% CI=1.85-12.63) as those of normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) to have chronic pain. Obese subjects were significantly more likely to have chronic pain in the head, neck or shoulder, back, legs or feet, and abdomen or pelvis than subjects who were not obese. In multivariate models, obesity (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.27-3.26) and severe obesity (OR=4.1, 95% CI=1.57-10.82) were associated with chronic pain after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and education. CONCLUSION: Chronic pain is common in this elderly population, affects women more than men, and is highly associated with obesity.
AB - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of chronic pain in elderly people and its relationship with obesity and associated comorbidities and risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: A representative community sample of 840 subjects aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: The prevalence of chronic pain and its relationship with obesity (categories defined according to body mass index (BMI)), other medical risk factors, and psychiatric comorbidities were examined. Chronic pain was defined as pain of at least moderate severity (≥4 on a 10-point scale) some, most, or all of the time for the previous 3 months. RESULTS: The sample was mostly female (62.8%), and the average age was 80 (range 70-101). The prevalence of chronic pain was 52% (39.7% in men; 58.9% in women). Subjects with chronic pain were more likely to report a diagnosis of depression (odds ratio (OR)=2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.40-4.55) and anxiety (OR=2.3, 95% CI=1.22-4.64). Obese subjects (BMI 30-34.9) were twice as likely (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.33-3.28) and severely obese subjects (BMI≥35) were more than four times as likely (OR=4.5, 95% CI=1.85-12.63) as those of normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) to have chronic pain. Obese subjects were significantly more likely to have chronic pain in the head, neck or shoulder, back, legs or feet, and abdomen or pelvis than subjects who were not obese. In multivariate models, obesity (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.27-3.26) and severe obesity (OR=4.1, 95% CI=1.57-10.82) were associated with chronic pain after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and education. CONCLUSION: Chronic pain is common in this elderly population, affects women more than men, and is highly associated with obesity.
KW - Chronic pain
KW - Elderly
KW - Obesity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=58149216630&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=58149216630&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02089.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02089.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 19054178
AN - SCOPUS:58149216630
SN - 0002-8614
VL - 57
SP - 115
EP - 119
JO - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
JF - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
IS - 1
ER -