[Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community].
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of chronic pain in elderly municipal employees (n = 451) in Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil, and to characterize the pain in relation to: location, intensity, duration of episode, periodicity, and most frequent time of day. Data were collected using home interviews. Chronic pain was defined as lasting > six months and the elderly were defined as > or = 60 years of age. Overall prevalence of chronic pain was 51.44%, involving mostly the back (21.73%) and lower limbs (21.5%). Back pain was described as daily (31.63%), continuous, or lasting 1-6 hours (19.39%), mild (50%), and without a specific time of day (56.12%). Pain in the lower limbs was described as daily (42.27%), of variable duration (32.99%) or continuous (22.68%), mild (53.61%), and without a specific time of day (48.45%). The study showed a high prevalence of chronic pain in the elderly, with characteristics that can interfere in their quality of life, causing unnecessary suffering.
Dellaroza
Mara Solange Gomes
MS
Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Brasil. maradellaroza@dilk.com.br
Pimenta
Cibele Andrucioli de Mattos
CA
Matsuo
Tiemi
T
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors