Pain characteristics and incident frailty in community-dwelling older adults: dose-response relationships and sex differences in a longitudinal study on aging in Taiwan.

Authors

Hsiao-Chen Lin, Te-Chia Tseng, En-Chieh Yang, Chih-Jung Yeh, Meng-Chih Lee

Published in

Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1817545. Epub Jul 31, 2026.

Abstract

Frailty, a geriatric syndrome characterized by vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, has become increasingly prevalent with global population aging. Research suggests that pain can predict frailty. However, current evidence is limited by factors such as cross-sectional research designs and specific study populations. In this study, we investigated the associations between pain characteristics (e.g., pain intensity; pain-related interferences in normal work, mood, and sleep; and pain duration) and incident frailty in participants from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA).
This study included community-dwelling individuals aged 50 and older (N = 5,836) without baseline frailty who participated in either of two TLSA survey waves (2011 to 2015 and 2015 to 2019) and were monitored for 4 years. Pain characteristics were assessed using standardized TLSA survey items, and frailty status was determined using a modified Cardiovascular Health Study phenotype. Statistical analyses were performed using covariate-adjusted and unadjusted multinomial logistic regression models. Furthermore, subgroup analyses by age and sex were performed.
Pain characteristics exhibited clear dose-response relationships with incident frailty. Higher pain intensity, greater pain-related interferences in normal work, sleep, and mood; and longer pain duration corresponded to a higher risk of frailty. Pain lasting >6 months and causing moderate to severe interference in normal work increased frailty risk after full adjustment [odds ratio (OR): 1.89 vs. 1.56, p < 0.05]. Pain intensity and pain-related interferences in sleep and mood exhibited significantly positive associations with frailty risk in models in which sociodemographic and lifestyle variables were adjusted for (OR: 2.07 vs. 2.17 vs. 2.21, p < 0.0001). However, these associations weakened after adjustment for health-related variables. Male participants with moderate to severe pain-related interference in mood had more than twice as high of a frailty risk compared with female participants (OR: 2.22, p for interaction = 0.0388).
This study revealed robust dose-response relationships between pain characteristics and incident frailty. Chronic pain and pain-related interference in normal work emerged as strongest predictors of frailty. Significant sex differences were observed. Our findings underscore the importance of comprehensive pain assessment and early intervention in supporting patients at a high risk of frailty.

PMID:
42602492
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.