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Self-reported pain severity is associated with a history of coronary heart disease

S Parsons1, J McBeth, G J Macfarlane

  • 1Arthritis Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, UK.

European Journal of Pain (London, England)
|June 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Severe pain is linked to a higher risk of non-fatal cardiovascular events like heart attack and angina. This association persists even after accounting for other common risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pain Medicine
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Previous research indicates a correlation between chronic pain and cardiovascular mortality.
  • Understanding the link between pain severity and non-fatal cardiovascular disease is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between varying levels of pain severity and the incidence of non-fatal cardiovascular disease.
  • To determine if pain severity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

  • A large-scale survey was distributed to 45,994 adults, collecting data on pain, lifestyle, and medical history.
  • Factor analysis identified a pain severity component, and logistic regression analyzed its association with cardiovascular disease history.
  • The study adjusted for potential confounding factors to isolate the impact of pain severity.

Main Results:

  • Individuals in higher pain severity quintiles showed a significantly increased odds ratio for experiencing a heart attack.
  • Similarly, higher pain severity was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting a history of angina.
  • The highest pain severity quintile demonstrated a 2.47 times higher odds of heart attack and a 3.17 times higher odds of angina.

Conclusions:

  • A significant association exists between severe pain and a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease history.
  • This relationship is evident even after controlling for shared risk factors, suggesting pain severity may be an independent contributor.
  • The findings highlight the importance of considering pain severity in cardiovascular risk assessment.
Abstract

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