The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published a new systematic review and meta-analysis of 376 studies comprising 347,468 individuals with chronic pain from 50 countries, with the intention of understanding the prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults with chronic pain.
Among adults with chronic pain, clinical symptoms of depression were present in 39.3% and clinical symptoms of anxiety were present in 40.2%
Prevalence differed by pain condition, with the highest prevalence among people with fibromyalgia, who saw prevalence rates of 54% for depression and 55.5% for anxiety, while the lowest prevalence was among people with arthritis conditions. Osteoarthritis patients had a 29.1% prevalence for depression and a 17.5% prevalence for anxiety.
Prevalence for depression and anxiety among chronic pain patients was highest among younger people and women. Additionally, people with nociplastic pain (ie, pain arising from altered nociception without tissue damage) were among the groups most likely to have depression and anxiety.
The prevalences of depression and anxiety were significantly higher among individuals with chronic pain than in both clinical and nonclinical control groups. JAMA concluded that the co-occurrence of chronic pain with depression and anxiety is a significant public health concern necessitating routine screening in clinical settings, equitable access to specialty care, and innovative treatment development.
