Conditions leading to pain in older adults with pathology, type of pain and epidemiology
| Condition | Pathology | Type of pain | Epidemiology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osteoarthritis | Progressive loss or destruction of articular cartilage leading to inflammation, resulting in impaired joint mobility and progressive pain | Nociceptive and neuropathic | Estimated to affect 50% of adults aged over 65 years5 |
| Post-herpetic neuralgia | Reactivation of varicella-zoster virus in the dorsal root ganglion, causing damage to peripheral and central neurons | Neuropathic | Frequency and severity increases with age; estimated to occur in 30% of those aged over 80 years who have had acute herpes zoster8 |
| Diabetic neuropathy | Hyperglycaemia leading to changes in blood supply of peripheral nerves causing a progressive loss of fibres along the autonomic and somatic divisions9 | Neuropathic | 10%–26% of the diabetic population9 |
| Lower back pain: spondylosis and radiculopathies | Chronic degeneration of articular surfaces leading to inflammation and narrowing that can result in radiculopathy | Nociceptive and neuropathic | Incidence of spondylosis increases with age, with almost all individuals showing spondylosis by the age of 79 years5 |
| Post-stroke pain (PSP) | Central PSP, peripheral neuropathic pain, pain secondary to spasticity, and joint subluxation10 | Nociceptive and neuropathic | 10.6% of ischaemic strokes experience some chronic PSP10 |
| Parkinson's disease | Musculoskeletal (40%–90%); altered processing of the somatosensory information in the basal ganglia results in reduced pain threshold and increased pain sensitivity, ‘off state pain’11 | Nociceptive and neuropathic | 45%–60% in patients with Parkinson's disease, with variations in gender found11 |