Researchers conducted an extensive international study examining pain prevalence across different populations, analyzing data collected from more than 6 million individuals spanning 118 countries between 1990 and 2025. The study, published in Nature Medicine, included participants ranging from age five to over 100 and evaluated pain across 11 bodily locations including the head, face, neck, shoulders, feet, ankles, hands, wrists, elbows, chest, back, abdomen, hips, and knees.
The research found that women consistently reported higher levels of pain compared to men across all measured bodily sites, with particularly pronounced differences in headache, facial pain, and abdominal pain. The data showed that pain prevalence increased most steeply before age 55, then peaked at or beyond age 75, with back, hip, and knee pain increasing progressively throughout the lifespan. Among participants, approximately 40% reported experiencing back pain, while facial pain was reported least frequently at 2%. The study noted that high-intensity pain peaked around age 50, while generalized pain peaked near age 70.
Regional disparities emerged in the analysis, with individuals in lower Human Development Index regions experiencing substantially higher late-life pain prevalence and almost twice the rates of low back pain in older age. The researchers identified that 18.3% of the global pain burden was attributable to smoking, obesity, and low household incomes, with regional variations ranging from 12.6% in sub-Saharan Africa to 27.1% in eastern Europe.
The study distinguished between pain accumulation and more disabling pain forms, finding that certain pain types like headache, abdominal, and facial pain peaked earlier before declining, while musculoskeletal pain generally increased with age. Lower body pain sites continued rising throughout the lifespan, consistent with cumulative mechanical and degenerative stress at weight-bearing locations. The researchers acknowledged limitations including variations in pain measurement approaches and uneven geographic coverage, though these did not significantly alter overall patterns.
Experts noted the findings provide strong evidence of a persistent global gender pain gap, highlighting concerns that women’s pain experiences remain frequently dismissed, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in clinical settings.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI