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Lund CI, Engdahl B, Rosseland LA, Stubhaug A, Grimnes G, Furberg AS, Steingrímsdóttir ÓA, Nielsen CS. The association between age at menarche and chronic pain outcomes in women: the Tromsø Study, 2007 to 2016. Pain 2022; 163:1790-1799. [PMID: 35239542 PMCID: PMC9393800 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Sex differences in chronic pain are well established with documented predominance in women. This study assessed relationships between age at menarche and chronic pain, site-specific chronic pain, pain characteristics, and chronic widespread pain (CWP). We used data from the Tromsø Study conducted in 2007 to 2008 and 2015 to 2016 (Tromsø 6 and Tromsø 7 waves) including participants aged 30 to 99 years. The associations between age at menarche and chronic pain were examined in Tromsø 6 (n = 6449), Tromsø 7 (n = 5681), and the combination of Tromsø 6 and Tromsø 7 (n = 12,130). Tromsø 7 data were used further to examine the associations between age at menarche and site-specific chronic pain, 4 pain characteristics (pain duration, pain intensity, episode duration, and episode frequency), and CWP. All analyses were adjusted for body mass index, age, and economic status of the household in childhood. Lower age at menarche was associated with an increased risk of chronic pain in all 3 samples (risk ratio for each year delay in menarche 0.98, 95% CI [0.97 to 0.99] across samples). Risk differences were -0.014, CI 95% (-0.02 to -0.005) in Tromsø 6, -0.011, CI 95% (-0.02 to -0.02) in Tromsø 7, and -0.012, CI 95% (-0.02 to -0.01) in the combined sample. Age at menarche was significantly associated with chronic pain in the neck, abdomen, and both arms, and CWP. Of the 4 pain characteristics, pain duration was statistically significant. We conclude that early menarche is an independent risk factor for pain across a broad spectrum of pain outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte I. Lund
- Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Research and Development, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bo Engdahl
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Leiv A. Rosseland
- Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Research and Development, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Audun Stubhaug
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Pain Management and Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Guri Grimnes
- Division of Clinical Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, UiT—the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anne-Sofie Furberg
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Care, Molde University College, Molde, Norway
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ólöf A. Steingrímsdóttir
- Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Research and Development, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christopher S. Nielsen
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Pain Management and Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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