Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, B4495, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK.
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Mar 12;24(1):769. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17542-2.
Immigrants are exposed to numerous risk factors that may contribute to the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Recent political and environmental crises in North Africa and the Middle East have led to an increase in immigration to Europe that has challenged the healthcare system and especially the management of chronic conditions.
The aims of this scoping review are to investigate the burden, prevalence, and associated factors of chronic musculoskeletal pain in immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East in Europe during the last decade. The intentions of the review are to inform healthcare policymakers, to identify gaps in the literature, and aid the planning of future research.
Online databases Medline, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science were used to identify epidemiological studies published from2012-2022 examining chronic pain in populations from North Africa and the Middle East with a migration background residing in Europe.
In total eleven studies were identified conducted in Norway (n = 3), Denmark (n = 3), Germany (n = 1), Austria (n = 1), Sweden (n = 1), and Switzerland (n = 1). Among the identified studies, eight studies were cross-sectional (n = 8), two were prospective cohort studies (n = 2) and one was a retrospective cohort study (n = 1). Data suggested that chronic pain is more prevalent, more widespread, and more severe in people with than without a migration background. Furthermore, immigrants who have resided in the destination country for a longer period experience a higher prevalence of chronic pain compared to those in the early phases of migration. The following factors were found to be associated with chronic pain in this population: female gender, lower education, financial hardship, being underweight or obese, time in transit during migration, experience of trauma, immigration status, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Several gaps in the literature were identified. Research is limited in terms of quantity and quality, does not reflect actual immigration trends, and does not account for immigration factors. Prospective cohort studies with long follow-ups would aid in improving prevention and management of chronic pain in populations with a migration background. In particular, they should reflect actual immigration trajectories, account for immigration factors, and have valid comparison groups in the countries of origin, transit and destination.
移民面临着许多可能导致慢性肌肉骨骼疼痛发展的风险因素。近年来，北非和中东的政治和环境危机导致移民到欧洲的人数增加，这给医疗保健系统带来了挑战，尤其是对慢性病的管理。
本综述的目的是调查过去十年中来自北非和中东的欧洲移民中慢性肌肉骨骼疼痛的负担、患病率和相关因素。综述的目的是为医疗保健政策制定者提供信息，发现文献中的空白，并为未来的研究规划提供帮助。
在线数据库 Medline、Embase、PubMed 和 Web of Science 用于确定 2012-2022 年间发表的研究北非和中东移民人口中慢性疼痛的流行病学研究，这些研究的移民背景居住在欧洲。
共确定了 11 项研究，这些研究分别在挪威（n=3）、丹麦（n=3）、德国（n=1）、奥地利（n=1）、瑞典（n=1）和瑞士（n=1）进行。在所确定的研究中，有 8 项是横断面研究（n=8），2 项是前瞻性队列研究（n=2），1 项是回顾性队列研究（n=1）。数据表明，有移民背景的人慢性疼痛的患病率更高、更广泛、更严重。此外，与处于移民早期阶段的人相比，在目的地国居住时间较长的移民患慢性疼痛的比例更高。在这一人群中，以下因素与慢性疼痛有关：女性、受教育程度较低、经济困难、体重过轻或肥胖、移民过程中的过境时间、创伤经历、移民身份、焦虑、抑郁和创伤后应激障碍。
文献中发现了一些空白。研究在数量和质量上都受到限制，不能反映实际的移民趋势，也没有考虑移民因素。具有长期随访的前瞻性队列研究将有助于改善移民背景人群慢性疼痛的预防和管理。特别是，它们应该反映实际的移民轨迹，考虑移民因素，并在原籍国、过境国和目的地国有有效的对照组。
