One-year prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal pain in a large adult Norwegian county population: Relations with age and gender - The HUNT Study

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal complaints [MSCs] at ten different anatomical sites in a large unselected adult population in relation to age, gender, level of daily activity, and sick leave status. Methods: Between 1995 and 1997, all 92,936 inhabitants 20 years and older in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway were invited to participate in a comprehensive health survey. Out of 66,140 participants, a total of 64,690 [70 percent] responded to questions concerning musculoskeletal symptoms. Results: The overall [women and men] age-adjusted one-year prevalence of chronic MSCs defined as pain lasting for at least three months was 44.6 percent [95 percent CI 44.4-44.9 percent]. Among women, the prevalence was 48.8 [95 percent CI 48.4-49.1 percent], and among men was 40.4 [95 percent CI 40.0-40.9 percent]. The highest age-adjusted prevalence was found for shoulder pain [18.1 percent] and lowest for chest/stomach pain [4.4 percent]. The age-adjusted prevalence of chronic widespread pain [total 12.6 percent; 95 percent Cl 12.3-12.8 percent] was higher in women [15.5 percent, 95 percent CI 15.1-15.9 percent] than in men [9.5 percent, 95 percent CI 9.1-9.8 percent]. The proportion of subjects with sick leave increased dramatically with increasing number of pain locations, whereas the proportion of individuals with reduced capacity at work or leisure time increased moderately. Conclusions: Nearly half of the adult population reported chronic MSCs during the last year. The high degree of interference with daily activities and work capacity should be motivation for better preventive strategies in the future.