Authors
Wei Cui, Yihong Lu, Lini Dong, Jia Guo, Fengjiao Li
Published in
Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1822852. Epub Jul 15, 2026.
Abstract
To explore the association between chronic pain and intrinsic capacity (IC) decline status in older patients with chronic diseases.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among older patients with chronic diseases in a tertiary hospital from January 2021 to December 2024. Chronic pain was assessed through self-report and defined as pain persisting for ≥3 months. IC was evaluated across locomotor, vitality, cognitive, psychological, and sensory domains with validated tools. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between chronic pain and IC decline status.
A total of 820 participants were analyzed. Chronic pain prevalence was 75.3, and 87.0% were classified as having IC decline status. Locomotor and vitality were the most affected domains. Chronic pain was strongly associated with IC decline status (adjusted OR = 4.77, 95% CI: 3.04-7.49). Age ≥80 years increased the risk of IC decline status, while polypharmacy (≥5 medications) showed a protective effect. No significant interactions were found between chronic pain and age or polypharmacy.
Chronic pain was highly prevalent and independently associated with IC decline status in older patients with chronic diseases. Locomotor and vitality were the most vulnerable domains. Integrating pain assessment and management with interventions targeting mobility and vitality may help preserve functional health in multimorbid older adults.
PMID:
42528642
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.
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