[Pain management in elderly people in primary care (ADA Study)].
OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of this study is to obtain information concerning type, clinical evaluation and therapeutic management of pain in elderly people in a Primary Care setting.


METHODS
Observational prospective study, conducted in the Primary Care setting in elderly patients, who were attended in the doctor's office with pain as main or secondary symptom. A total of 213 physicians and 1120 patients have participated in the study. Demographic data and clinical characteristics, pain intensity (as measured by Visual Analogical Scale -VAS-), diagnostic methods, treatments and sanitary resources used have been collected.


RESULTS
Pain was the main reason for visiting the physician in 86.2% of patients. The main characteristics of pain were: nociceptive pain (80.8%), lower limbs location (43.5%), degenerative etiology (71.8%) and chronic (67,7%). Pain intensity, as measured by VAS, was 7.1 +/- 1.3. Degree of satisfaction with previous analgesic treatments was good/very good in 30% of patients. The analgesics most frequently prescribed in this study were paracetamol (87.4%) and NSAID (51.2%).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic nociceptive pain of degenerative etiology, and not very satisfactory response with previous treatments are the main characteristics of the elderly patient with pain that were attended by the Primary Care physician.
Gil Gregorio
P
P
Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Dr. Martín Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. pgil.hcsc@salud.madrid.org
Moreno
A
A
Rodríguez
M J
MJ
Zarco
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000700:Analgesics