The course of chronic pain in the community: Results of a 4-year follow-up study
Abstract
Little is known about the course of chronic pain in the community. Such information is needed for the prevention and management of chronic pain. We undertook a 4-year follow-up study of 2184 individuals living in Grampian, UK to describe patterns and predictors of change in chronic pain over time. In October 2000, participants completed a postal questionnaire including case definition questions, the chronic pain grade questionnaire, the SF-36 and socio-demographic questions. Information from this questionnaire was compared to information collected from a similar questionnaire in 1996. A response rate of 83% was achieved for the follow-up study. The overall prevalence of chronic pain (pain or discomfort present either all the time or on and off for 3 months or longer) increased from 45.5% at baseline to 53.8% at follow-up. Seventy-nine percent of those with chronic pain at baseline still had it at follow-up. The average annual incidence was 8.3% and the average annual recovery rate was 5.4%. Individuals in the study samples who are in lowest quartile of SF-36 domains--physical functioning, social functioning and bodily pain at baseline--were more likely to develop chronic pain at follow-up, and respondents who were retired were less likely to develop chronic pain. Individuals in the study samples in the lowest quartile of SF-36 domains, bodily pain and general health at baseline, were less likely to recover from their chronic pain, as were those aged 45-74 compared with those…
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The experience of pain rarely remits in chronic pain.
“the experience of pain rarely remits”
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- Authors
- Elliott, A. M., Smith, B. H., Hannaford, P. C., Smith, W. C., & Chambers, W. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- NHS Grampian (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Elliott, A. M.
- Venue
- Pain
- Published
- 2002-09
- Volume
- 99
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 299-307
- ISSN
- 0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1975688428
- Cited by
- 384
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 9.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Pain (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Association of Anaesthetists
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Chronic Disease Management Strategies
- Keywords
- chronic pain, pain incidence, pain recovery, prevalence, SF-36, physical function, social functioning, bodily pain, retirement, age
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Chronic Disease, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pain, Predictive Value of Tests, Residence Characteristics, Scotland, Severity of Illness Index, Incidence, Prevalence
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