Photo Credit: Andrey Popov

The following is a summary of “Veterans with chronic pain: Examining gender differences in pain type, overlap, and the impact of Post-traumatic stress disorder,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pain by Hadlandsmyth, et al.

Researchers started a retrospective study to investigate how gender influences the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the prevalence of multiple overlapping pain conditions (MOPCs).

Using administrative data from the National Veterans Health Administration, they formed a group encompassing all Veterans (2021) who satisfied the criteria for one or more of the 12 chronic pain classifications. (MOPCs: the number of pain classifications meeting criteria). Gender differences in the prevalence of each of the 12 pain subtypes were estimated through multivariable logistic regression models while controlling for demographic characteristics and comorbidities. To analyze the count of MOPCs and explore potential moderation effects between gender and PTSD, negative binomial regression was employed.

The results showed 1,936,859 veterans with chronic pain (2021), 12.5% were women. Female veterans with chronic pain demonstrated higher rates of MOPCs (mean = 2.3) than males (mean = 1.9), with an IRR of 1.31 and a 95% CI of 1.30–1.32. PTSD emerged as an independent risk factor for MOPCs in adjusted analysis (IRR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.23–1.24). The interaction term between gender and PTSD did not show significance (P=0.87). Furthermore, depressive disorders, irrespective of PTSD, were identified as a notable risk factor for MOPCs (IRR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.36–1.37).

Investigators concluded that MOPCs and PTSD co-occurrence highlights the need for combined pain management and trauma-informed care.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejp.2258