Population-based study of pain in elderly people: a descriptive survey

Aim: to establish the prevalence of pain and persistent pain in an elderly community-based population. Methods: an epidemiological study of pain complaints in a population-based sample of elderly people in South-Western France. Results: among the 741 subjects, 530 (71.5%) reported pain somewhere, 244 (32.9%) persistent pain (defined as daily pain for more than 6 months) and 241 (32.5%) reported episodic pain. The commonest locations were limb joints and back. The prevalence of pain was 44.5% for limb joints, 29.6% for back, 11.6% for neck and 11.3% for limbs (joints excepted). The prevalence for persistent pain was 19.4% for limb joints, 12% for back and 10.4% for limbs (joints excepted). The frequency of persistent pain increased slightly with age in both sexes but was higher in women. A higher prevalence of persistent pain in limb joints and back in women explained the difference. By contrast, the prevalence of episodic pain was statistically higher in men over 75, Conclusion: persistent pain is an important health problem in elderly subjects.