Association of pain and risk of falls in community-dwelling adults: a prospective study in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Ogliari, Giulia; Ryg, Jesper; Andersen-Ranberg, Karen; Scheel-Hincke, Lasse Lybecker; Collins, Jemima T.; Cowley, Alison; Di Lorito, Claudio; Howe, Louise; Robinson, Katie R.; Booth, Vicky; Walsh, David A.; Gladman, John R. F.; Harwood, Rowan H.; Masud, Tahir

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the longitudinal associations between pain and falls risks in adults.

Methods

Prospective cohort study on data from 40,636 community-dwelling adults ≥ 50 years assessed in Wave 5 and 6 in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Socio-demographic and clinical information was collected at baseline (Wave 5). At 2-year follow-up (Wave 6), falls in the previous 6 months were recorded. The longitudinal associations between pain intensity, number of pain sites and pain in specific anatomic sites, respectively, and falls risk were analysed by binary logistic regression models; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were calculated. All analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic and clinical factors and stratified by sex.

Results

Mean age was 65.8 years (standard deviation 9.3; range 50–103); 22,486 (55.3%) participants were women. At follow-up, 2805 (6.9%) participants reported fall(s) in the previous 6 months. After adjustment, participants with moderate and severe pain at baseline had an increased falls risk at follow-up of 1.35 (1.21–1.51) and 1.52 (1.31–1.75), respectively, compared to those without pain (both p < 0.001); mild pain was not associated with falls risk. Associations between pain intensity and falls risk were greater at younger age (p for interaction < 0.001). Among participants with pain, pain in ≥ 2 sites or all over (multisite pain) was associated with an increased falls risk of 1.29 (1.14–1.45) compared to pain in one site (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Moderate, severe and multisite pain were associated with an increased risk of subsequent falls in adults.

Citation

Ogliari, G., Ryg, J., Andersen-Ranberg, K., Scheel-Hincke, L. L., Collins, J. T., Cowley, A., Di Lorito, C., Howe, L., Robinson, K. R., Booth, V., Walsh, D. A., Gladman, J. R. F., Harwood, R. H., & Masud, T. (2022). Association of pain and risk of falls in community-dwelling adults: a prospective study in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). European Geriatric Medicine, 13(6), 1441–1454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-022-00699-1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 12, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Oct 13, 2022
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 26, 2025
• Journal: European Geriatric Medicine
• Print ISSN: 1878-7649
• Electronic ISSN: 1878-7657
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1441–1454
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-022-00699-1
• Keywords: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; General Environmental Science
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/12329705
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41999-022-00699-1
• Additional Information: Received: 2 June 2022; Accepted: 12 September 2022; First Online: 13 October 2022