Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 4, 2026
08:33
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
1.9K
Chronic Pain in Older Adults
1Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Wang Ambulatory Care Center, 55 Fruit Street Gray-Bigelow 444, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Anesthesiology Clinics
|August 29, 2015
Summary
Chronic pain in older adults requires careful assessment, considering age-related factors and cognitive status. Effective management involves a multimodal approach, combining various therapies for optimal pain relief in seniors.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Pain Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Chronic pain is prevalent in older adults, influenced by multiple comorbidities.
- Age-related physiological and cognitive changes impact pain perception and reporting.
- Accurate pain assessment in this demographic presents unique challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the epidemiology of chronic pain in older adults.
- To discuss age-related differences in pain perception and assessment.
- To outline best practices for pain management in later life.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of existing evidence.
- Analysis of studies on pain epidemiology in the elderly.
- Synthesis of research on pain assessment tools and strategies for older adults.
- Examination of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management interventions.
Main Results:
- Older adults often experience chronic pain due to multiple diagnoses.
- Self-reporting of pain is possible even with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.
- Behavioral cues can indicate pain in older adults with cognitive impairment.
- Multimodal pain management is most effective.
Conclusions:
- Pain assessment in older adults must account for comorbidities and cognitive status.
- A multimodal treatment strategy, including pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, rehabilitation, and psychological approaches, is recommended.
- Interventional pain therapies can be beneficial for select older patients, potentially reducing medication reliance.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Chronic Pancreatitis I: Introduction
894
The pancreas, an elongated and flat gland situated behind the stomach, serves a vital function in digesting food and managing blood sugar levels.
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when the immune system becomes active and causes swelling, pain, and disruptions in organ function. Pancreatitis can manifest as either an acute or chronic condition.
Acute pancreatitis arises suddenly and lasts for a brief duration, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term affliction...
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when the immune system becomes active and causes swelling, pain, and disruptions in organ function. Pancreatitis can manifest as either an acute or chronic condition.
Acute pancreatitis arises suddenly and lasts for a brief duration, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term affliction...
894
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
813
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
813
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
3.1K
Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
3.1K
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
324
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
324
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
357
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
357
01:44Nociception
34.8K
Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain.
34.8K