Around 17 million Americans had chronic pain so bad in 2021 that it drastically interfered with their lives , agree to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The analysis reckon that virtually 52 million American adults — about one in every five — hurt from continuing pain in the ass in 2021 .
CDC researchers study late data collected from the National Health Interview Survey ( NHIS ) , an in - person survey of households mean to be representative of the country as a whole . Their study waspublishedlast month in the CDC ’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report .
Based on this information , the generator approximate that 20.9 % of grownup in the U.S. ( 51.6 million ) have inveterate pain in 2021 , define as pain lasting three or more month . About 6.9 % ( 17.1 million ) experience high - impact continuing pain , defined as pain in the ass that cause “ square restriction to daily activities . ”
Photo: nuiza11 (Shutterstock)
While pain might be general , there were key differences in the demographics of inveterate pain . Non - Hispanic Native Americans , bisexual Americans , and Americans who have experienced divorce or separation had the highest preponderance of chronic pain in the ass . old adults , unemployed multitude , rural residents , and those know in poorness were also more likely to experience chronic nuisance .
The percentage of Americans experiencing chronic pain has remained just about constant since 2016 , which was the last time the CDC conducted a similar analysis . But there does seem to have been a slight downtick in those with high - impact chronic pain ( in 2016 , about 8 % of Americans were estimated to have it ) . And continuing botheration in general look to occur more usually than many other chronic ill in the country .
In a paperpublishedthis week in JAMA connection Open , a separate squad of researchers look at late NHIS information on continuing painful sensation . They found that there are more newfangled cases of continuing pain p.a. than there are new case of low , diabetes , and hypertension . They also feel that about two - third base of Americans who reported chronic pain in 2019 continue to experience it a year later ; only 10 % of people who experienced inveterate bother in 2019 were completely painful sensation - free a year later .
While there are many options useable to treat modest and/or short - lasting acute accent pain , the same is n’t dependable for in effect chronic nuisance discussion . Many existing medication , such as opioids , incline to only put up modest improvement at good and can come with serious side event that fix their utility . But scientists are starting to test out new avenue of treatment , includinglab - made antibodies . And there have beenrecent real advancesin handling specific form of chronic pain , like migraines .
One important putz for stemming the tide of continuing pain in the ass is likely to be prevention .
In the new JAMA survey , the author take note that about 15 % of Americans who experience non - continuing pain in 2019 then run on to have chronic pain in 2020 . That finding suggests that at least some case of continuing pain could be cease with early and effective enough discourse , the author say .
“ These results emphasize the high disease loading of continuing pain in the U.S. grownup population and the need for early direction of pain before it becomes continuing , ” they wrote .
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