By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Female, white and older Americans are more likely to have physical pain that limits their daily activities, according to a new CDC analysis that estimates about one in five adults have chronic pain.

The study, based on the 2019 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), adds further insight into the demographic characteristics of chronic pain, a health condition that is more common than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

The survey found that 20.4% of American adults had chronic pain “every day” or “most days” in the previous three months. Of those, a little over a third said they had pain that limited their life or work activities – what the CDC calls “high-impact” chronic pain.  Women (8.5%) were more likely than men (6.3%) to report this kind of high-impact pain.

The likelihood of having chronic pain varied considerably by age, race and whether Americans live in a rural or urban area. For example, only 8.5% of younger adults reported have chronic pain, compared to 30.8% of Americans aged 65 and over.

The survey found that whites (23.6%) were significantly more likely to have chronic pain compared to Black (19.3%), Hispanic (13.0%), and Asian (6.8%) adults.

Living in rural areas also raised the likelihood of having chronic pain. Over 28% of Americans living in rural areas said they had chronic pain, compared to 16.4% of those living in big cities.

A previous NHIS survey also estimated that 20.4% of Americans adults – about 50 million people -- have chronic pain. Of those, 20 million have high impact chronic pain.

Due to the multidimensional nature of pain and different definitions of its severity and prevalence, estimates can vary widely.  In 2011, the Institute of Medicine released a landmark report claiming at least 116 million Americans have chronic pain.

A recent study warned that middle-aged Americans are experiencing more pain than the elderly, a surprising shift in pain demographics. Researchers at Princeton University and the University of Southern California say acute and chronic pain is rising in working class and less-educated Americans under the age of 60. The findings run counter to long held assumptions that the elderly are more likely to feel pain due to arthritis and other conditions associated with old age.

“This is the mystery of American pain,” researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). “If these patterns continue, pain prevalence will continue to increase for adults; importantly, tomorrow’s elderly will be sicker than today’s elderly, with potentially serious implications for healthcare.”