Moderate to Severe Chronic Pain in Later Life: Risk and Resilience Factors for Recovery

Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Later-Life Pain Outcomes: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

Objectives: This study examines whether perceived neighborhood characteristics relate to pain outcomes among middle-aged and older adults. Methods: Data were from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2014; n = 18,814). Perceived neighborhood characteristics were physical disorder, social cohesion, safety, and social ties. We fitted adjusted generalized estimating equation models to evaluate prevalence, incidence, and recovery of moderate-to-severe limiting pain 2 years later. Results: The mean age of our sample was 65.3 years; 54.6% were female and 24.2% reported moderate-to-severe limiting pain at baseline. Positive neighborhood characteristics were associated with low prevalence (e.g., prevalence ratio [PR]: .71 for disorder) and reduced incidence (e.g., PR: .63 for disorder) of moderate-to-severe limiting pain. Positive neighborhood characteristics were associated with a high recovery rate from moderate-to-severe limiting pain (e.g., PR = 1.15 for safety), though the 95% CIs for disorder and cohesion crossed the null. Discussion: Neighborhood characteristics may be important determinants in predicting pain in later life.

Sleep disorders in chronic pain and its neurochemical mechanisms: a narrative review

Chronic pain (CP) is a prevalent problem, and more than half of patients with CP have sleep disorders. CP comorbidity with sleep disorders imposes immense suffering and seriously affects the patient's quality of life, which is a challenging issue encountered by clinicians. Although the reciprocal interactions between pain and sleep have been studied to some degree, there is still a lack of awareness and comprehensive description of CP comorbidity with sleep disorders. In this narrative review article, we summarize the current knowledge about the present estimates of the prevalence of comorbid sleep disorders in CP patients, sleep detection methods, sleep characterization in CP, and the effect of sleep disorders on CP and current therapies. We also summarize current knowledge of the neurochemical mechanisms of CP comorbidity with sleep disorders. In conclusion, insufficient attention has been paid to the role of sleep disorders in CP patients, and CP patients should be screened for sleep disorders in the clinic. Special attention should be given to a possible risk of drug-drug interaction when using two types of drugs targeting pain and sleep simultaneously. The current insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying CP comorbidity with sleep disorders is still rather limited.

Pain and aging: A unique challenge in neuroinflammation and behavior

Chronic pain is one of the most common, costly, and potentially debilitating health issues facing older adults, with attributable costs exceeding $600 billion annually. The prevalence of pain in humans increases with advancing age. Yet, the contributions of sex differences, age-related chronic inflammation, and changes in neuroplasticity to the overall experience of pain are less clear, given that opposing processes in aging interact. This review article examines and summarizes pre-clinical research and clinical data on chronic pain among older adults to identify knowledge gaps and provide the base for future research and clinical practice. We provide evidence to suggest that neurodegenerative conditions engender a loss of neural plasticity involved in pain response, whereas low-grade inflammation in aging increases CNS sensitization but decreases PNS sensitivity. Insights from preclinical studies are needed to answer mechanistic questions. However, the selection of appropriate aging models presents a challenge that has resulted in conflicting data regarding pain processing and behavioral outcomes that are difficult to translate to humans.

The association of resilience, social connections, and internal locus of control with pain outcomes among older adults

Our objective was to investigate the hypothesis that psychological resources, including resilience, social connections, and internal locus of control, separately and in additive combinations, would be associated with selected pain outcomes: 1) days of opioid use and 2) medical/drug expenditures over 2 years. A mailed survey was sent to a stratified sample of older adults age≥65 with diagnosed back pain, osteoarthritis, and/or rheumatoid arthritis. Each of the resources was dichotomized as high/low and/or counted with equal weighting. Among respondents (N=3,131), the prevalence of mild/no and moderate/severe pain severity was 59% and 41%, respectively. As hypothesized, each resource was associated with lower levels of pain; additively, reported pain severity decreased as the number of resources increased. For moderate/severe pain, there was reduced opioid use among those with more resources; and, for mild/no pain, decreased medical/drug expenditures among those with ≥2 resources. Interventions that integrate psychological resources may enhance their effectiveness.

Pain and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Spectrum in Community-Dwelling Older Americans: A Nationally Representative Study

CONTEXT

Pain is a significant concern among older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

OBJECTIVES

Examine the association between cognitive impairment across the ADRD spectrum and pain assessment and treatment in community-dwelling older Americans.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, population-based study included 16,836 community-dwelling participants ≥ 50 years in the 2018 Health and Retirement Study. ADRD, assessed by validated cognitive measures, was categorized into "dementia," "cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND)" and "intact cognition." Pain assessment included pain presence (often being troubled with pain), pain severity (degree of pain most of the time [mild/moderate/severe]), and pain interference (pain making it difficult to do usual activities). Pain treatment included recent use of over-the-counter pain medications and opioids (past 3 months), and regular intake of prescriptions for pain.

RESULTS

Dementia were associated with lower likelihood of reporting pain presence (Odds Ratio [OR]= 0.61, P = 0.01), pain interference (OR = 0.46, P < 0.001), reporting lower pain severity (e.g., moderate vs. no: Relative Risk Ratio = 0.38, P < 0.001), and lower likelihood of receiving pain treatment, that is, recent use of over-the-counter pain medications (OR = 0.60, P = 0.02) and opioids (OR = 0.33, P < 0.001), and regular intake of prescriptions for pain (OR = 0.461, P = 0.002). CIND was associated with reporting lower pain severity (e.g., moderate vs. no: Relative Risk Ratio = 0.75, P = 0.021), lower likelihood of reporting pain interference (OR = 0.79, P = 0.045) and recent over-the-counter pain medication use (OR = 0.74, P = 0.026).

CONCLUSION

CIND and dementia increased the risk of under-report and under-treatment of pain. Systematic efforts are needed to improve pain recognition and treatment among older adults with cognitive impairment, regardless of dementia diagnosis.