title: Prevalence and characteristics of pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to the Norwegian general population.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to a sample from the Norwegian general population. This cross-sectional study evaluated 100 COPD patients with and without pain and 333 individuals from the Norwegian population with pain. After controlling for age and sex, a significantly higher percentage of patients with COPD (45%) reported pain than the general population (34%; P = .02). No differences were found in pain intensity scores, pain interference score, or number of pain locations between COPD patients and the general population. COPD patients reported moderate-to-severe pain located primarily in the chest, shoulders, neck, and thorax. For both groups, the most common pain treatment was analgesic use. Acupuncture/transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was used more frequently by COPD patients (P < .001) while physiotherapy was used more frequently by the general population (P = .007) to treat their pain. Pain is a significant problem for COPD patients. Additional research is warranted to replicate these findings and to provide a more detailed characterization of how pain changes over time and influences COPD patients' ability to function and their quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to the general population, pain is more common in patients with COPD and ranges from moderate to severe in its intensity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education, Stord/Haugesund University College, Norway. signe.bentsen@hsh.no
authors.forename: Signe Berit
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bentsen
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rustøen
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miaskowski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation