Epidemiology of Pain in Older Persons

The literature suggests a dichotomy between acute and chronic pain states in the elderly. There is a high prevalence of atypical, less frequent, and even absent pain symptoms in acute and life-threatening conditions, where as the prevalence of chronic pain is usually higher in older segments of the population for most health conditions. About 20% to 30% of community-dwelling elderly and 40% up to 80% of institutionalized individuals suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain in older persons seems to increase up to, but not beyond, the seventh decade of life. In most studies chronic pain in older persons is more oft…