Predicting Factors of Pain Duration in Patients with Chronic Pain: A Large Population-based Study

Background: Chronic pain is the third main problem of global health and the most common cause of long-term disabilities. The duration that patients suffer from chronic pain is directly proportional to the extent of the suffering and to the amount of health care resources allocated to this problem. There is no research that has studied the risk factors associated with the long pain duration in chronic pain patients. Methods:We investigated the potential risk factors associated with long pain duration in a population with diverse pain conditions in a cross-sectional study. We used a questionnaire that included a number of potential risk factors including sex, age, marital status, household condition, number of children, employment, education, body mass index (BMI), pain intensity, and the level of anxiety/depression. The data were analyzed by univariable and multivariable linear regression models. Results: We recruited 780 patients. The analyses showed that age and abnormal BMI had a positive correlation with pain duration. Conclusions: The risk factors that might be associated with longer pain duration include older age and abnormal BMI.