Population Health Sciences Division, Medical Research Institute, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Br J Anaesth. 2013 Jul;111(1):13-8. doi: 10.1093/bja/aet123.
Chronic pain affects ∼20% of the European population and is commoner in women, older people, and with relative deprivation. Its management in the community remains generally unsatisfactory, partly because of lack of evidence for effective interventions. Epidemiological study of chronic pain, through an understanding of its distribution and determinants, can inform the development, targeting, and evaluation of interventions in the general population. This paper reviews current knowledge of risk markers associated with chronic pain and considers how these might inform management and prevention. Risk factors include socio-demographic, clinical, psychological, and biological factors. These are relevant to our understanding of chronic pain mechanisms and the nature of, and responses to, current and future treatments.
慢性疼痛影响了欧洲约 20%的人口，在女性、老年人和相对贫困人群中更为常见。其在社区中的管理总体上仍不尽如人意，部分原因是缺乏有效的干预措施的证据。通过了解慢性疼痛的分布和决定因素进行慢性疼痛的流行病学研究，可以为一般人群中干预措施的制定、目标设定和评估提供信息。本文综述了与慢性疼痛相关的风险标志物的现有知识，并探讨了这些标志物如何为管理和预防提供信息。风险因素包括社会人口统计学、临床、心理和生物学因素。这些因素与我们对慢性疼痛机制的理解以及当前和未来治疗的性质和反应有关。
