Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca e Cura per Anziani I.N.R.C.A.-I.R.C.C.S., Unità Operativa di Geriatria Roma, Via Cassia 1167, I-00189 Roma, Italy.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010 Nov-Dec;51(3):273-6. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2009.11.016. Epub 2009 Dec 23.
Several studies indicate that pain, although very common in the elderly, is under-treated, because it is considered as a concomitant effect of aging. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of pain among patients in eight Italian geriatric hospital departments, correlated to prescribed therapy. We enrolled 387 patients in the study, 367 of whom were evaluated. Each patient's recovery, co-morbidity, pain intensity, prescribed therapy, side effects, duration of pain, and efficacy of therapy were monitored during two 15-day periods from 15 July to end of August 2008, and from 1 October to 15 November 2008. The results of this study confirmed that hypertension, cardiopathic disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common pathologies, and that pain is present in 67.3% of those recovered in geriatric departments. In general, however, pain is not treated. Indeed only 49% of those with pain had any type of treatment, which was adequate for the pain intensity. In fact 74.5% of patients considered the therapy to be of low or no efficacy. These data demonstrate the presence of pain in a high percentage of elderly patients, which is either not treated, or treated inadequately. Controlling pain is essential in elderly patients in order to allow a normal life and an active role in family and society. The main conclusion is that pain is often poorly considered in the elderly, thus leading to a dangerous under-treatment. We want to underline the crucial clinical impact of such under-treatment in elderly patients.
多项研究表明，疼痛虽然在老年人中很常见，但治疗不足，因为它被认为是衰老的伴随效应。本研究旨在评估意大利 8 家老年病医院科室患者疼痛的患病率，并与规定的治疗相关联。我们招募了 387 名患者进行研究，其中 367 名患者接受了评估。在 2008 年 7 月 15 日至 8 月 31 日和 10 月 1 日至 11 月 15 日的两个 15 天期间，监测每位患者的康复情况、合并症、疼痛强度、规定的治疗、副作用、疼痛持续时间和治疗效果。这项研究的结果证实，高血压、心脏病、糖尿病和慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是常见的病症，在老年科恢复的患者中，有 67.3%的患者存在疼痛。然而，总的来说，疼痛并没有得到治疗。实际上，只有 49%的有疼痛的患者接受了任何类型的治疗，而这种治疗对于疼痛强度是不够的。事实上，74.5%的患者认为治疗效果低或没有效果。这些数据表明，在老年患者中存在高比例的疼痛，要么没有得到治疗，要么治疗不足。控制疼痛对老年患者至关重要，以允许他们过上正常的生活，并在家庭和社会中发挥积极的作用。主要结论是，疼痛在老年人中往往得不到重视，从而导致治疗不足的危险。我们想强调这种对老年患者治疗不足的关键临床影响。
