Researchers reveal 6 key risk factors for chronic pain

HELSINKI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Fatigue and depression are among six key risk factors predisposing people to chronic pain, according to researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland and McGill University in Canada.

Chronic pain affects up to 20 percent of the global population, and the researchers' discoveries could help lead to more effective prevention and treatment.

The AI-based study, published in the Nature Medicine journal, involved over 48,000 participants who were monitored for nine years.

Using data from the UK's Biobank, which includes nearly half a million individuals, the researchers examined 99 risk factors in order to identify the six most important. These were obesity (body mass index over 30 kg/m2), sleeplessness, tiredness, frequently feeling depressed, whether the person seeks medical help for mental health issues, and experiencing stressful life events like divorce, unemployment, or the death of a spouse.

A high-risk score predicted the spread of chronic pain during the nine-year observation period, while a low-risk score indicated a potential recovery from chronic pain during the same period.

According to Professor Jaro Karppinen and Postdoctoral Researcher Eveliina Heikkala from the University of Oulu, these findings can help to develop a more systematic approach to identifying risk factors for pain, potentially leading to more intensive treatment, and targeted allocation of resources to high-risk patients.