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Chronic upper extremity pain and co-occurring symptoms in a general population
Christina Gummesson1, Isam Atroshi, Charlotte Ekdahl
1Hässleholm-Kristianstad Hospitals, Kristianstad University, Lund, Sweden. gunmmesson@sjukgym.lu.se
Objective:
To estimate the prevalence of self reported chronic upper extremity pain associated with physical impairment in a general population, and its co-occurrence with chronic upper extremity numbness or tingling and chronic pain at other locations.
Methods:
A general health questionnaire was mailed to 3,000 persons (age 25-74 years) who were randomly selected from a general population register.
Results:
The response rate was 83%. The prevalence of chronic upper extremity pain associated with physical impairment was 20.8% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 19.2-22.5), and that of co-occurring numbness or tingling was 6.7% (95% CI 5.7-7.7). Among the responders with chronic upper extremity pain associated with physical impairment, 84% reported more than 1 painful area.
Conclusion:
Chronic upper extremity pain associated with physical impairment and co-occurring chronic upper extremity numbness or tingling were common in the general population. The presence of more than 1 location for pain in the upper extremity as well as in other parts of the body was frequent.