Dataset Information

The bidirectional relationship between chronic joint pain and frailty: data from the Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pain and frailty are associated, but this relationship is insufficiently understood. We aimed to test whether there is a unidirectional or bidirectional relationship between joint pain and frailty.

Methods

Data were from Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing, a UK-based cohort. Average joint pain severity over the previous month was assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). Frailty was classified as present/absent using the FRAIL questionnaire. Multivariable regression assessed the association between joint pain and frailty, adjusted for age, sex, and BMI class. Two-wave cross-lagged path modelling permitted simultaneous exploration of plausible causal pathways between pain intensity and frailty at baseline and 1-year. Transitions were assessed using t-tests.

Results

One thousand one hundred seventy-nine participants were studied, 53% female, with a median age of 73 (range 60 to 95) years. FRAIL classified 176 (15%) participants as frail at baseline. Mean (SD) baseline pain score was 5.2 (2.5). Pain NRS ≥ 4 was observed in 172 (99%) of frail participants. Pain severity was associated with frailty at baseline (aOR 1.72 (95%CI 1.56 to 1.92)). In cross-lagged path analysis, higher baseline pain predicted 1-year frailty [β = 0.25, (95%CI 0.14 to 0.36), p < 0.001] and baseline frailty predicted higher 1-year pain [β = 0.06, (95%CI 0.003 to 0.11), p = 0.040]. Participants transitioning to frailty over one year had higher mean pain scores (6.4 (95%CI 5.8 to 7.1)) at baseline than those who remained non-frail (4.7 (95%CI 4.5 to 4.8)), p < 0.001.

Conclusions

The bidirectional relationship between pain and frailty could lead to a vicious cycle in which each accelerates the other's progression. This justifies attempts to prevent frailty by addressing pain and to include pain measures as an outcome in frailty studies.

SUBMITTER: Chaplin WJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10161600 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The bidirectional relationship between chronic joint pain and frailty: data from the Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing cohort.

Chaplin Wendy J WJ McWilliams Daniel F DF Millar Bonnie S BS Gladman John R F JRF Walsh David A DA

BMC geriatrics 20230505 1

<h4>Background</h4>Pain and frailty are associated, but this relationship is insufficiently understood. We aimed to test whether there is a unidirectional or bidirectional relationship between joint pain and frailty.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were from Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing, a UK-based cohort. Average joint pain severity over the previous month was assessed using an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). Frailty was classified as present/absent using the FRAIL questionnair ...[more]

PMID: 37147635

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Dataset Information

The bidirectional relationship between chronic joint pain and frailty: data from the Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing cohort.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

The bidirectional relationship between chronic joint pain and frailty: data from the Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing cohort.

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