This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Fracture history associated with chronic widespread bodily pain
Patients with a history of fracture were associated with an increased likelihood of chronic widespread bodily pain, according to results of this study.
“The causes of chronic widespread pain are poorly characterized, and this study is the first to demonstrate an association with past fracture,” Nicholas C. Harvey, lead researcher for the study and professor of rheumatology and clinical epidemiology, said in a press release. “If confirmed in further studies, these findings might help us to reduce the burden of chronic pain following such fractures.”
Researchers identified 501,733 participants from the UK Biobank study who completed a series of touchscreen computer-based questionnaires followed by face-to-face interviews with trained research staff. To test the relationship between fractures that occurred at the spine, hip, upper limb or lower limb in the 5 years prior to the baseline interview and chronic widespread bodily pain, researchers used multivariable Poisson regression with robust standard errors.
Investigators found 9.46% of participants reported at least one fracture of the upper limb, lower limb, spine or hip during the preceding 5 years, with women more commonly reporting fractures than men and Caucasians more commonly reporting fractures than all other ethnic groups. Results showed 1.42% of participants reported chronic widespread bodily pain, of which 13.8% of participants had a previous fracture and 8.1% reported at least one fracture of hip, spine, upper or lower limbs.
Researchers found an increased risk of chronic widespread bodily pain among patients who had a previous fracture at any anatomical site. Poisson regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, BMI and ethnicity showed a significant association between chronic widespread bodily pain and fracture at all sites. After additional adjustment for lifestyle factors and psychological factors, results showed attenuated risk ratios; however, there were strong statistically significant associations between chronic widespread bodily pain and fracture, with women who sustained spine and hip fractures and men with spine fractures experiencing a 2-fold greater risk of chronic widespread bodily pain.
“Chronic widespread pain is common, and leads to substantial health related problems and disability,” Harvey said in the release. “Past studies have demonstrated an increased risk of chronic widespread pain following traumatic events, but none have directly linked to skeletal fractures.” – by Casey Tingle
Reference:
Disclosure: Harvey reports no relevant financial disclosures.