Association between Chronic Pain and Physical Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Yuki Nakai, Hyuma Makizako, Ryoji Kiyama, Kazutoshi Tomioka, Yoshiaki Taniguchi, Takuro Kubozono, Toshihiro Takenaka and Mitsuru Ohishi
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Yuki Nakai: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Hyuma Makizako: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Ryoji Kiyama: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Kazutoshi Tomioka: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Yoshiaki Taniguchi: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
Takuro Kubozono: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Hypertension, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0075, Japan
Toshihiro Takenaka: Tarumizu Municipal Medical Center, Tarumizu Chuo Hospital, Kagoshima 891-2124, Japan
Mitsuru Ohishi: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Hypertension, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0075, Japan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-9

Abstract: This cross-sectional study investigated the association between chronic pain and physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. We analyzed data obtained from 323 older adults (women: 74.6%) who participated in a community-based health check survey (the Tarumizu Study, 2017). Physical frailty was defined in terms of five parameters (exhaustion, slowness, weakness, low physical activity, and weight loss). We assessed the prevalence of chronic low back and knee pain using questionnaires. Participants whose pain had lasted ≥two months were considered to have chronic pain. Among all participants, 138 (42.7%) had chronic pain, and 171 (53.0%) were categorized as having physical frailty or pre-frailty. Logistic regression analysis showed that chronic pain was significantly associated with the group combining frailty and pre-frailty (odds ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval 1.03–2.76, p = 0.040) after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, score on the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and medications. Comparing the proportions of chronic pain among participants who responded to the sub-items, exhaustion (yes: 65.9%, no: 39.4%) demonstrated a significant association ( p < 0.001). Chronic pain could be associated with the group combining frailty and pre-frailty and is particularly associated with exhaustion in community-dwelling older adults. Therefore, there is a need for early intervention and consideration of the role of exhaustion when devising interventions for physical frailty in older individuals with chronic pain.

Keywords: physical frailty; chronic pain; older individuals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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