Abstract
Chronic pain and fatigue have negative effects on the health, ADL, work, and hobbies of the elderly. As the proportion of people 65 years of age and older in the population increases, chronic pain and disability research regarding this group is receiving more consideration. However, little empirical evidence of the association between chronic pain, fatigue, and physical disability between the sexes is available. This study investigated the association between chronic pain, fatigue, and instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling elderly people by sex in Japan. Concerning the presence of chronic pain, 61% of males and 78% of females reported chronic pain, indicating that many elderly people living in the community suffer from chronic pain and fatigue on a daily basis. The number of sites of chronic pain was higher in females than in males (p = 0.016), with more chronic pain in the knees (p < 0.001) and upper arms (p = 0.014). Regarding chronic pain, males showed a higher correlation with QuickDASH-DS (rs = 0.433, p = 0.017) and QuickDASH-SM (rs = 0.643, p = 0.018) than females. Furthermore, fatigue also showed a higher correlation with QuickDASH-W (rs = 0.531, p = 0.003) in males than in females. These results indicate that the association between chronic pain, fatigue, and QuickDASH differed between the sexes among community-dwelling elderly people in Japan. A better understanding of the risk factors for elderly chronic pain and fatigue among sexes will facilitate the development of elderly healthcare welfare and policies.
Highlights
IntroductionThe average life expectancy has increased globally, reaching a global average of approximately 70 years in 2014 (6 years longer than in 1990) and reaching approximately 80 years in developed countries (compared to approximately 50 years in developed countries in the early 20th century) [1]
Over recent decades, the average life expectancy has increased globally, reaching a global average of approximately 70 years in 2014 (6 years longer than in 1990) and reaching approximately 80 years in developed countries [1]
There was a statistically significant difference between the mean working hours of males (5.5 h, SD = 3.6) and females (2.6 h, SD = 2.6) (p < 0.001). These results suggest that, among community-dwelling elderly people, females had a higher level of pain than that of males, but there was no difference in fatigue
Summary
The average life expectancy has increased globally, reaching a global average of approximately 70 years in 2014 (6 years longer than in 1990) and reaching approximately 80 years in developed countries (compared to approximately 50 years in developed countries in the early 20th century) [1]. Organization, the global population of people aged ≥60 years was 600 million in 2000, and this is expected to rise to approximately two billion in 2050 [2]. The proportion of people 65 years of age and older who report musculoskeletal pain and physical disability is high [4]. Little is known about the relationship between chronic pain and physical activity among males and females in community-dwelling elderly people [6,7,8,9]
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