What is Chronic Pain?
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Is Chronic Pain a Disease?
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What is the population impact of chronic pain?
Research studies to study the population prevalence of chronic pain ask people to say yes or no the question ‘Have you had aches and pains lasting greater than three months?’.Using this question, it is estimated that one third to half of the population in the United Kingdom suffer from ‘chronic pain and aches’. However, the majority of these people are able to get on with their lives by themselves or with healthcare support.
People with chronic pain can often be categorized as follows:
Grade 1: Low disability and low pain intensity
Grade 2: Low disability and high pain intensity
Grade 3: High disability and moderate limitation of activities due to pain
Grade 4: High disability and severe limitation of activities due to pain
Using the above criteria, 2-8 % of the UK population have Grade 4 chronic pain i.e with high disability and severe limitation of activities due to chronic pain.
The term DALY (disability-adjusted life year) is a time-based measure that combines years of life lost due to premature mortality or death (YLLs) and years of life lost due to time lived in states of less than full health, or years of healthy life lost due to disability (YLDs). Low back pain ranks in the top 10 diseases in terms of DALY. The DALY for low back pain is estimated at 2.5 DALY whereas the DALY for Diabetes is 2.8 and the DALY for COPD( Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is 2.9.
The Impact of Chronic Pain
People describe the feeling of persisting chronic pain as sometimes ‘worse than death’. Imagine having a toothache and the earliest dental appointment that is available is 3 weeks away!
Severe chronic pain is often perceived in this fashion by patients. It is as if you have an unwanted house guests [chronic pain] who have occupied your house and kitchen in an inconsiderate manner leaving you to tip toe around them for your own needs whilst they are there!
Chronic pain chips away slowly. People with chronic pain then find that they are unable to concentrate, the mood dips and their day-to-day activities get affected. Their social world contracts, relationships suffer and partners often report a new ‘grumpy person’. Work and finances also suffer.
In summary, severe chronic pain is a devastating condition to have and it severely affects one’s quality of life if no help is taken.
Who is at Risk of Developing Chronic Pain?
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