Daijiworld Media Network - Montreal

Montreal, Oct 15: Body pain does not increase steadily with age and may rise most sharply before the age of 55, according to a global analysis of more than six million people published in the journal Nature Medicine.

The study analysed self-reported pain data from 6,125,459 people aged five to over 100 across 118 countries and territories between 1990 and 2025. Researchers, including those from Canada’s McGill University, found that pain prevalence ranged from around two per cent for facial pain to 40 per cent for back pain.

Women reported more pain than men across all 11 body areas examined. The largest differences were observed in facial pain, headaches, and stomach or abdominal pain. Other areas included the neck and shoulder, foot and ankle, chest, hip and knee.

The researchers found that pain prevalence generally increased most sharply before the age of 55. However, headaches and abdominal pain peaked earlier in life, while back, hip and knee pain continued to rise with age.

The study highlighted differences between countries at varying levels of human development. From the age of 40, overall pain, joint pain and back pain increased more rapidly in countries with lower Human Development Index (HDI) values.

Among people aged 80 and above, the prevalence of any bodily pain was around 31 percentage points higher in countries with lower HDI values than in those with higher HDI values. Low back pain was also nearly twice as common in lower-HDI settings.

The researchers noted that pain is a major cause of disability worldwide, but comparing self-reported pain across age groups and regions remains challenging. Existing estimates often focus on diagnosed medical conditions, potentially overlooking people who experience pain but have limited access to healthcare.

Known risk factors, including smoking, obesity and low income, explained less of the pain burden in countries with lower levels of human development. The reasons for the higher prevalence of pain in these settings remain unclear.

The findings could help improve global pain monitoring and prevention strategies, the researchers said, suggesting that preventive measures may need to begin earlier in life and be adapted to regional needs.

However, the authors cautioned that most of the data were collected at a single point in time. The findings therefore reflect differences between age groups rather than changes tracked in the same individuals as they grew older.