According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine respondents of a National Institute of Health Statistics survey indicated that low back pain was the most common (27%), followed by severe headache or migraine pain (15%), neck pain (15%) and facial ache or pain (4%). Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined, as shown in the chart below:
| Condition | Number of Sufferers | Source |
| Chronic Pain | 116 million people | Institute of Medicine of The National Academies |
| Diabetes | 25.8 million people (diagnosed and estimated undiagnosed) | American Diabetes Association |
| Coronary Heart Disease (heart attack and chest pain) Stroke | 16.3 million people 7.0 million people | American Heart Association |
| Cancer | 11.7 million people | American Cancer Society |
In 2011, at least 116 million adult Americans have common chronic pain conditions, a conservative estimate because it does not include acute pain or children. Here are some more staggering statistics related specifically to migraine and headaches:
- Women were more likely to experience pain (in the form of migraines, neck pain, lower back pain, or face or jaw pain) than men. Women were twice as likely to experience migraines or severe headaches, or pain in the face or jaw, than men.
- The percentage of person experiencing migraines or severe headaches was inversely related to age. Twenty percent adults aged 18-44 years experienced a migraine or severe headache in the 3 months prior to the interview compared with 15% of adults aged 45-64, 7% of adults aged 65-74, and 6% of adults aged 75 and over.
- Adults aged 18-44 years were less likely to have experienced pain in the lower back during the 3 months prior to the interview compared with older adults.
- When results are considered by singe race without regard to ethnicity, Asian adults were less likely to have pain in the lower back compared to white adults, black adults, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) adults.
- Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher were less likely to have migraine headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, or pain in the face or jaw, compared to adults who did not graduate from high school.
- Adults in poor and near poor families were more likely to experience migraine headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, or pain in the face or jaw in the 3 months prior to the interview than were adults in families that were not poor.
- Among adults under age 65, those covered by Medicaid were more likely to have migraine headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, or pain the face or jaw than those with private insurance or those who were uninsured. Among adults aged 65 and over, those covered by Medicaid and Medicare were more likely to have migraine headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, or pain in the face or jaw than those with private insurance or only Medicare health care coverage.
To learn more about how to cope and manage your chronic pain, visit the Patient Education section of the American Academy of Pain Medicine's website for online videos.
0 comments:
Post a Comment