Aberdeen researchers call for action on long-term pain: Ground-breaking research to be published in prestigious medical journal, the Lancet, finds that half the population suffers from chronic pain
Medical research carried out by a team at the University of Aberdeen has revealed that almost half the population suffers from long-term pain, with women more commonly affected than men.
The results of the two-year study entitled The Epidemiology of Chronic Pain in the Community, which was commissioned and funded by the Scottish Office, will be published in this month’s edition of the premier medical journal, The Lancet on Saturday, October 9.
The project was carried out by a core collaborative group, based at the newly-established Institute of Applied Health Sciences, which is part of the University’s Medical School. More than 5,000 adults living in Grampian were asked about the presence of long-term pain, its severity and the need for treatment and professional advice. Of those, 46.5% were found to be suffering from chronic pain, with 16% of these experiencing “severely-limiting” disability arising from the pain. Women were more likely to suffer than men, but were also more likely to seek advice or treatment.
Chronic pain is also more common among the older members of the population, those who are retired or unable to work and those living in council houses.
Dr Blair Smith, one of the authors of the report and a GP in Banff, said they were surprised to find that long-term pain is in fact much more common than first suspected.
“Our research shows that chronic pain is an important cause of suffering within the community and as such has important implications for GPs, as well as funding bodies. By highlighting the size and severity of the problem, and by discovering those groups of people who are more likely to suffer, GPs will be better equipped to pick up the problem and address it,” he said.
“However, there is a clear need for the problem to be addressed from a community perspective, including resources and training to match the prevalence and severity. Equally there is a pressing need for more research into methods of tackling the problem effectively.”