The effect on comorbidity and pain in patients with osteoarthritis

Comorbidities can affect how patients experience pain associated with chronic disease. Despite numerous studies on the association of pain with chronic conditions, few account for the multiple comorbidities associated with the highly prevalent chronic disease osteoarthritis (OA). OA generally is not lethal but it greatly impacts health care utilization and costs mainly primarily due to pain and disability. This paper describes how comorbidities impact OA pain reporting. We identified the common comorbidities associated with OA and examined the comorbidity measures utilized to identify the comorbidities. Using the identified comorbidities, we related how they may contribute to the pain experience for OA patients. We describe how OA treatment and multiple comorbidities may impact on treatment decisions.