A population in pain: report from the Olmsted County health study.
BACKGROUND
Pain is poorly understood on a population level. This study provides updated estimates of the prevalence, location, severity, and impact of pain in a U.S. community and discusses current definitions of "chronic" pain.


METHODS
We mailed four-page surveys to a random sample of 5,897 adult residents of Olmsted County, MN. The survey asked about participant pain (location, duration, severity, and impact), as well as satisfaction with pain-related health care.


RESULTS
Of the 3,575 responders (61%), 64.4% reported having chronic pain (>3 months' duration); 6.9% reported subacute pain (1-3 months); and 9.9% reported acute pain (<1 month). Body regions with the highest prevalence of pain were the head (31.9%), lower back (37.7%), and joints (59.5%). Chronic pain sufferers had more days per months with pain, more moderate or severe pain, and greater levels of interference with general activities and sleep than the people with acute and subacute pain. Almost two-thirds of those with chronic pain (63%) reported multiple pain locations. Several chronic pain sufferers gave fair or poor ratings for the quality of care (13.3% of those rating) or the effectiveness of treatment (28.1%) for pain.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of chronic pain is high, often in more than one location, and over 21% of chronic pain sufferers report dissatisfaction with current care.
Watkins
Emmeline A
EA
AstraZeneca, Department of Epidemiology, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Wollan
Peter C
PC
Melton
L Joseph
LJ
Yawn
Barbara P
BP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life