1 in 10 U.S. Adults Experiences Pain Every Day. Are You One of Them?
Pain is pervasive. (Photo: Getty Images)
Approximately one in 10 U.S. adults experiences pain on a daily basis, according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health.
The findings, published in The Journal of Pain, show that 25.3 million adults, or 11.2 percent, in the U.S. report experiencing pain every day over the last three months. And more than half of adults — 126 million, or 55.7 percent — report experiencing pain of some kind over the last three months.
Severe pain is also quite common: 17.6 percent, or 40 million adults, report experiencing it, according to the report. Why this matters: Those who experienced the most severe levels of pain were also more likely to use health-care services, experience more disability, and have a worse health status, than people with less-severe pain.
The findings are based on results from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, which included 8,781 U.S. adults who were asked about their pain frequency and intensity over the prior three months. Women and older people were more likely to report pain than men and younger people in the report.
In an effort to learn more about the impact chronic pain has on daily life, Yahoo Health has partnered with Silver Hill Hospital on a survey to find how it affects everything from marriages to jobs to the ability to parent. If you have suffered from serious, continual pain during the past six months or longer, please take just a few minutes to complete this survey and help us develop a better picture of chronic pain.
Take the survey here.
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