Association between frailty and chronic pain among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: European geriatric medicine 2020-12, Vol.11 (6), p.945-959
• Main Authors: Lin, Taiping, Zhao, Yanli, Xia, Xin, Ge, Ning, Yue, Jirong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Geriatrics/Gerontology; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Review
• ISSN: 1878-7657; 1878-7649; 1878-7657
• DOI: 10.1007/s41999-020-00382-3

Key summary points Aim To estimate the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty among older adults with chronic pain and review the longitudinal association between frailty status and chronic pain. Finds Frailty and prefrailty are common in persons with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a risk factor for developing frailty among older persons. Message Non-frail older persons with chronic pain are more likely to experience physical frailty after an average follow-up of 5.8 years. Purpose Frailty and chronic pain are prevalent among older adults. However, no study has systematically reviewed the association between frailty and chronic pain in older adults. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty among older adults with chronic pain and review the longitudinal association between frailty status and chronic pain. Methods Embase, Medline, Pubmed, and Cochrane library were searched from inception to March 2020. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Random effect models and Mantel–Haenszel weighting were adopted to synthesize the estimates. Results Among the initial 846 articles retrieved, 24 were included in the review (12 cross-sectional, and 12 longitudinal). The pooled prevalence in persons with chronic pain was 18% (95% CI 14–23%; I 2  = 98.7%) for frailty and 43% (95% CI 36–51%; I 2  = 98.2%) for prefrailty. The pooled prevalence of chronic pain was 50% (95% CI 45–55%; I 2  = 88.3%) for individuals with frailty and 37% (95% CI 31–42%; I 2  = 97.1%) for individuals with prefrailty. Persons with chronic pain were 1.85 (95% CI 1.49–2.28; I 2  = 93.2%) times more likely to develop frailty after an average follow-up of 5.8 years compared to those without. Conclusion Frailty and prefrailty are common in persons with chronic pain. Chronic pain among non-frail older persons significantly predicts the incidence of frailty after an average follow-up of 5.8 years. Future studies should explore the efficacy of different pain management strategies in reducing physical frailty and clarify the association of other types of frailty (cognitive, social and psychological) with chronic pain.