The Pain Specialists, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore.
Ann Acad Med Singap. 2009 Nov;38(11):937-42.
The prevalence of chronic pain is well described in various parts of the world; primarily in Western societies such as Europe, America and Australia. Little is known of the prevalence of chronic pain within Asia or Southeast Asia. In view of the cultural and genetic variation in pain causation, manifestation and reporting, the findings of previous studies cannot be translated to Asian countries. Prevalence studies needed to be carried out to quantify the magnitude and impact of chronic pain within Asian countries to properly allocate precious health funds to deal with this important healthcare issue. We report the findings of the prevalence study within one Asian country: Singapore.
To determine the prevalence and impact of chronic pain in adult Singaporeans.
Two sets of questionnaires were designed. The first, a screening questionnaire, to identify the prevalence of chronic pain, and should there be chronic pain; the second, a detailed questionnaire was administered, to characterise the features and the impact of pain. A cross-sectional sampling of Singapore adults were achieved using a computer-based multi-step random sampling of listed telephones numbers. The questionnaires were administered via telephone by a trained interviewer with the aid of a computer-assisted telephone interview system.
A total of 4141 screening and 400 detailed questionnaires were completed. The prevalence of chronic pain, defined as pain of at least 3 months' duration over the last 6 months was 8.7% (n = 359). There was a higher prevalence in females (10.9%) and with increasing age. In particular, pain prevalence increased steeply beyond the age of 65 years old. There was a significant impact on work and daily function of those with chronic pain.
Though the prevalence of chronic pain was marginally lower compared other studies, the impact of pain was just as significant. In a rapidly ageing population such as Singapore, chronic pain is an important emerging healthcare problem which will likely exert increasing toll on the existing social infrastructure within the next 5 to 10 years.
确定新加坡成年人慢性疼痛的患病率和影响。
设计了两套问卷。第一套是筛选问卷，用于确定慢性疼痛的患病率；如果有慢性疼痛，则使用第二套详细问卷来描述疼痛的特征和影响。通过计算机多步骤随机抽取列出的电话号码对新加坡成年人进行了横断面抽样。调查问卷通过受过培训的访谈员使用计算机辅助电话访谈系统通过电话进行管理。
共完成了 4141 份筛选问卷和 400 份详细问卷。慢性疼痛的患病率定义为过去 6 个月中至少持续 3 个月的疼痛为 8.7%（n=359）。女性（10.9%）和年龄增长的患病率较高。特别是，疼痛的患病率在 65 岁以后急剧上升。慢性疼痛对工作和日常功能有显著影响。
尽管与其他研究相比，慢性疼痛的患病率略低，但疼痛的影响同样显著。在新加坡这样一个人口迅速老龄化的国家，慢性疼痛是一个重要的新兴医疗保健问题，在未来 5 到 10 年内，它可能会对现有的社会基础设施造成越来越大的影响。
