Chronic pain and risk of cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies - PubMed
4 days ago
- #cognitive impairment
- #chronic pain
- #dementia
- Chronic pain is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, particularly dementia (pooled adjusted OR = 1.30).
- The association is stronger in studies with follow-up ≥5 years (OR = 1.37), older populations (OR = 1.30), and headache-related pain cohorts (OR = 1.42).
- Depression is identified as a key moderator of the association between chronic pain and cognitive impairment.
- No significant association was found between chronic pain and global cognitive performance scores (pooled OR = 0.99).
- The study suggests integrative clinical strategies addressing pain and co-occurring depression, along with further mechanistic and interventional studies.