The Impact of Pain on Physical and Mental Quality of Life in Adults 65 and Older

The burden of arthritis, sciatica and back pain on quality of life was estimated using ordinary least squares regression techniques to estimate the impact of each of these types of pain on quality of life, controlling for patient demographic, socioeconomic and health status characteristics. For those with arthritis, sciatica and back pain the adjusted average physical component scores (PCS) were 4.2, 1.4 and 6.8 points lower, respectively (all p < 0.0001). Adjusted average mental component scores (MCS) were 1.3, 0.5 and 2.9 points lower, respectively (all p < 0.01) for those with arthritis, sciatica and back pain, respectively. Pain is a frequent and debilitating problem among older adults, decreasing quality of life both physically and mentally. The impact of pain on quality of life was greater than that for many other commonly treated medical conditions. Clinicians should discuss pain with their patient to maximize their quality of life.