More than two-fifths of people in Britain have chronic pain by mid-40s

More than two-fifths of people in Britain suffer from some form of chronic pain by the time they are in their mid-40s, research suggests.

Scientists have found that persistent bodily pain at this age is also associated with poor health outcomes in later life – such as being more vulnerable to Covid-19 infection and experiencing depression.

The findings, published in the journal Plos One, suggest chronic pain at age 44 is linked to very severe pain at age 51 and joblessness in later life.

Study co-author Professor Alex Bryson, of University College London’s Social Research Institute, said: “Chronic pain is a very serious problem affecting a large number of people.

“Tracking a birth cohort across their life course, we find chronic pain is highly persistent and is associated with poor mental health outcomes later in life including depression, as well as leading to poorer general health and joblessness.

“We hope that our research sheds light on this issue and its wide-ranging impacts, and that it is taken more seriously by policymakers.”

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Source: The Independent, 2 November 2022