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Chronic Pain-Associated Mortality in the United States: A Population-Based Study, 1999-2023
Ali Al-Salahat1, Mittal Prajapati1,2,3, Ali Bin Abdul Jabbar2
1Neurology Department, Creighton University, Omaha, NE.
Pain Physician
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Chronic pain mortality has significantly increased, particularly affecting females and older adults. This highlights chronic pain as a critical public health issue requiring urgent attention and targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Pain Medicine
Background:
- Chronic pain is a significant health issue with considerable morbidity.
- Large-scale data on chronic pain-associated mortality trends and disparities are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate national trends in chronic pain-associated mortality from 1999 to 2023.
- To identify demographic disparities in chronic pain mortality within the US.
Main Methods:
- Utilized death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database (1999-2023).
- Included 67,417 deaths with chronic pain (ICD-10 codes R52.1, R52.2) as a contributing cause.
- Analyzed age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) using Joinpoint regression.
Main Results:
- Chronic pain-associated mortality AAMR increased from 1.97 to 10.72 per million (average APC +6.3%).
- Mortality increased across sexes, age groups (especially ≥55), and racial/ethnic groups.
- Females, older adults, non-Hispanic White individuals, and the Southern region showed disproportionately higher mortality rates.
Conclusions:
- Chronic pain mortality has markedly increased, posing a significant public health concern.
- Disparities observed in mortality rates highlight the need for targeted interventions.
- Enhanced documentation, comorbidity management, and policy changes are crucial to address this growing burden.
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